Townsville flooding could worsen with more heavy rain and dam releases

Updated

Up to 20,000 homes could be flooded in the coming days if rain continues to fall in north Queensland as heavily as it has been, authorities have warned.

Key points: The level of Townsville's Ross River Dam has topped 212 per cent of capacity

Dam releases set to continue, about 100 Townsville homes evacuated

The weather bureau says heavy rain will continue for at least another 48 hours

Acting Chief Superintendent Steve Munroe said the current mapping showed up to 500 homes were at risk of being impacted by floodwaters on Saturday night.

"If it continues tomorrow [Sunday] and the next day we could be up towards the 10,000 to 20,000," he said.

"We have time on our hands, it's those vulnerable communities at the moment, those homes in the low-lying areas where you've seen the water in the backyard.

"The simple fact of the matter is we're expecting more water tonight and we don't want you to be sitting in your homes at 2 o'clock in the morning going 'uh oh, I should have got out this afternoon', so the window is closing very very quickly."

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said police and Defence Force personnel were door knocking suburbs around Townsville.

"We are asking for people to self-evacuate, what we are seeking is for people to assess the situation in their own homes," she said.

"Those suburbs include Oonoonba, Idalia, Rosslea, Railway Estate, South Townsville, Cluden, Townsville City and parts of Hyde Park and Hermit Park.

"This is in anticipation of increased levels in Ross River as a result of water probably coming out through the spillway at the Ross River Dam."

North Queensland has copped four days of heavy rain and the Ross River Dam has hit 212 per cent capacity.

The dam reached 200.6 per cent at 9:00am on Saturday and by 1:00pm had risen to 212 per cent — tripling the volume of water in the catchment since January 27.

Cr Hill stressed there was no risk to the integrity of the dam, saying it still had plenty of flood mitigation capacity left.

"At the moment, what we're trying to do is manage the inflows and the outflows so that we minimise the impact downstream," she said.

The dam spillway gate opening was increased about 5pm on Saturday to allow 1,000 cubic metres of water to be released per second.

Improvements to the dam wall, which increased its capacity, were completed in 2007.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) described the situation as "severe and historic", with Townsville Airport recording 861 millimetres of rain for the seven days to 9:00am on Saturday.

The monsoonal rain has already caused extensive flash flooding in Townsville, Bluewater and Giru.

The Army is on hand to help with sandbagging in the city's south with homes under water and streets resembling canals.

More than a metre of water flooded Chris Brookehouse's home at Rosslea. He said he was staying at his property but would leave if levels climbed higher.

"If it does get higher, we'll go — I've never seen anything like this," he said.

"The volume of water is just incredible. Downstairs is gone, the fridge and freezer are floating. Another five or six steps and upstairs is gone too."

Townsville resident Ashleigh was going to the gym when she saw several people displaced from the rain and opened her home to them.

"I thought I'd go to a workout and then I then I saw these guys on the side of the road — you can't not help them," she said.

Monsoon low over Mt Isa, Gulf of Carpentaria

BOM Queensland manager Bruce Gunn said the slow-moving monsoonal trough would remain over northern Queensland for the next 48 hours.

"The risk is high for the next couple of days. Expect the peak in the rainfall to recur tonight [Saturday] and continue into next week," he said.

"We're expecting possible falls in the 150 to 200 millimetres and some isolated areas could get 300 millimetres in a six-hour period, so we can expect some parts of the coast to get several hundred millimetres in a day.

"The monsoon low is now sitting between Mount Isa and the Gulf of Carpentaria Coast and that extends a trough across the Cape York Peninsula and bringing that moist onshore flow to the Coral Sea coast."

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Candy the dog gets a lift through Townsville floodwaters on Saturday morning (ABC News)

Concerns for Mt Margaret, Upper Black River

BOM forecaster Adam Blazak said heavy rain fell south-west of Townsville early on Saturday morning and would exacerbate flooding.

"We do have concerns right at the moment for Mt Margaret and the Upper Black River, we've seen really heavy rainfall there," he said.

"We are expecting to see flash flooding for that river area so downstream from that needs to certainly take care."

Mount Margaret recorded 363mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9:00am Saturday and a seven-day total of 1,186mm, while nearby Black River recorded a seven-day total of 1,272mm.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the monsoon had settled in over the region and would be producing heavy rainfall over the next two days.

"We have not been in this situation before, there has been a lot of rain falling over the Townsville catchment and some of these levels are unprecedented," the Premier said.

"It is very important people have a good plan in place and you listen to emergency alerts."

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said emergency services had conducted 38 rescues in the last few days and assisted 80 people to safety.

Black River, Bluewater, Beach Holm, Yabul, Toolakea warnings

North of Townsville, an emergency flood alert was issued at 9:35am on Saturday for residents in areas in Black River, Bluewater, Beach Holm, Yabulu and Toolakea.

Townsville City Council said intense rainfall may affect these areas, causing fast-moving and rapidly rising water levels, leading to flash flooding.

Concerned residents have been advised to move to higher ground.

Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council has also advised that recent rain has impacted the water treatment plant recommending island residents boil all drinking water until further notice.

In central western Queensland, four people were stranded in a car overnight near Middleton after floodwaters cut off the roads around them and made escape impossible.

Police coordinated a search and rescue operation after detecting an unregistered emergency beacon activation, and an air search from Cairns found two vehicles on the banks of the Diamantina River, one of which was partially underwater.

The rescue helicopter made contact with the group, who said they had plenty of provisions and were uninjured.

Torres Strait residents prepare

Torres Strait residents are preparing for flooding, with a severe weather warning for tidal inundation also issued for the entire west Cape York Peninsula coast and parts of the Gulf Country.

Torres Strait Regional Authority chairman Pedro Stephen said some homes had already been inundated after last weekend's wet weather and they were preparing for more to be evacuated.

"During this similar pattern last year we had to move over 40 people — not just in Poruma but also in Yam Island, Horn Island and Warraber — so we have to really keep a close watch on this," he said.

Mr Stephen said the high tides would be the first real test for new geo-tech sandbags recently installed on Poruma Island, to protect the community of around 200 people.

Sandbagging begins along Cassowary Coast

Swiftwater rescue crews have been brought into the Cassowary Coast as the region prepares for possible flash flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning residents in Tully, Innisfail and Cardwell to prepare for up to 200 millimetres of rain as the persistent monsoonal trough once again begins to affect Cairns and areas to the south of the city.

Topics: rainfall, storm-event, storm-disaster, floods, emergency-incidents, emergency-planning, cardwell-4849, cairns-4870, townsville-4810, brisbane-4000, qld

First posted