Annastacia Palaszczuk says city has never seen the likes of the atrocious weather, after torrential rain forced authorities to open dam gates

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Townsville residents have been warned floodwaters could continue to rise, after another night of torrential rain and unprecedented releases from the city’s swollen dam.

Authorities decided on Sunday night to fully open the floodgates of the Ross River dam, releasing an estimated 1.9 megalitres of water per second. At 4am on Monday, the dam’s water levels were still at 242% of capacity, and had not dropped significantly.

On Monday morning the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, praised emergency workers for putting their lives on the line overnight, calling the floods a “one in a century event”.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” she told the Nine network. “In Queensland, of course, we’re used to seeing natural disasters, but Townsville has never seen the likes of this.”

Queensland floods: Townsville reels under record water levels as more rain arrives Read more

Palaszczuk said there were more than 900 people in the evacuation centres and that was expected to increase during the day. She warned residents to stay away from the floodwaters and said the worst might yet be to come.

“Don’t go sightseeing, if you don’t need to be out on the roads, don’t be.

The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) VIDEO: The moment the floodgates of the Ross River Dam automatically tripped open in Townsville yesterday. Video: Neilly Group Engineering via Storyful.

Read the latest: https://t.co/HdhCMsHZ3Z pic.twitter.com/svo3iYkhGJ

“We haven’t yet got to the peak … this monsoonal pressure will keep shifting, so we don’t know where it’s going to dump the water.”

Palaszczuk said the decision to open the dam floodgates had not been taken lightly, but it had to be done “to make sure the water had somewhere to go”.

Townsville families who had fled their homes were waiting nervously to see just how far floodwaters would rise, and how long the emergency situation in the city would last.

Soldiers, police and SES workers patrolled at-risk parts of the city overnight, helping people move from vulnerable homes.

Two police officers who were evacuating people in the suburb of Hermit Park had to be rescued themselves when fast rising waters washed away their patrol car and left them clinging to trees.

Two other people were plucked to safety from the roof of their car at nearby Hyde Park.

Janine Gertz (@NeenyGee) The river near my place. #bigwet #Townsville pic.twitter.com/2cATTzciqo

The overnight rainfall was not as bad as had been feared, but the Bureau of Meteorology estimated that a further 450mm of rain would have fallen over the Ross River dam catchment in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday.

The order to open the dam floodgates sparked warnings of flash flooding across 21 suburbs, including high velocity flows that could kill people.

On Sunday between 400 and 500 homes had been inundated, but that was before the dam releases, which it was feared would threaten thousands more.

One of the city’s five evacuation centres is now full and unable to accept any more people.

Authorities warned that the floodwaters were full of snakes, and crocodiles have been spotted outside suburban homes.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A freshwater crocodile spotted on O’Reilly Street in the Townsville suburb of Mundingburra on Sunday night. Photograph: Erin Hahn

A decision was due to be made early on Monday about whether to reopen the city’s airport after all flights were cancelled late on Sunday.

The trough that has been dumping flooding rain on north Queensland’s east coast, as well as drought-hit parts of western Queensland, will drive the state’s emergency for days to come.

Intense rain with significant flash flooding was expected between Ingham and Bowen on Monday, and possibly as far south as Mackay, extending inland to Mount Isa near the Northern Territory border.

Authorities have also warned of the potential for tornado-strength winds, and have observed offshore tornadoes, but so far tornadoes have not been seen in coastal communities.