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Images circulating on social media reveal that Targo Street in Bundaberg Central was already submerged by 8 a.m. AEST.
The local disaster management group has issued a warning that will impact the community significantly: bridges linking north and south Bundaberg will be closed once the Burnett River reaches a critical flood level of 7 meters, which is predicted to occur by 3 p.m. AEST.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts that the river’s level will climb even higher, reaching 7.5 meters overnight, and potentially approaching the December 2010 flood record of 7.92 meters by tomorrow.
If the bridges close, residents will be cut off with no safe evacuation routes available, leaving them isolated until the floodwaters recede, cautioned the disaster management group.
Additionally, there is a risk of power outages, and residents in Bundaberg North with medical needs are urged to evacuate immediately, as healthcare access will become unavailable in the event of isolation.
During the 2010 flood disaster, hundreds of people were evacuated and homes and businesses in Bundaberg North and East were inundated.
An emergency alert was issued last night and again this morning, warning residents to ‘prepare to leave’.
This afternoon that warning was updated to’ leave immediately’ for anyone in Bundaberg North, East, Central and West.
”There will be flood levels similar to that of 2010,” Bundaberg MP Tom Smith said.
“By 3pm the bridges will be closed.
“You need to make a decision as to where you are going to stay.
“Can you stay with family and friends in the region or do you need to access a place of refuge delivered by council?”
The recreational precinct on Kendalls Rd in Branyan has been designated as a place of refuge but authorities are urging people to stay with family and friends if possible.
It is only a place of refuge, not an evacuation centre, so resources will be limited.
The catchment has been smashed with heavy rain since Friday morning, brought on by a tropical low moving over the state which has now mostly contracted offshore.
The Wide Bay and Burnett region has copped the brunt of the heavy rain, however flooding is either occuring or possible in much of Queensland.
An enhanced image created by Weatherzone shows the widespread slow-moving rain storms that has left much of the state wet or saturated.
Some of the highest rainfall totals yesterday were at Westwood Range, which received 244mm in six hours yesterday afternoon, Captain Creek, which received 217mm in the same time, and Eden, where there was 146mm in just three hours and 74mm in one hour, according to Weatherzone.
Authorities beg drivers to stay out of floodwater
The boy was pulled through the window of the sedan by a police officer before the driver, a 54-year-old man was also helped from the vehicle, and fined for driving without due care and attention.
An off-duty police officer was also rescued from the roof of her car at Peachester on the Sunshine Coast by swift water rescue teams.
In Gympie, a man spent four hours on the roof of his car, waiting for rescue, just 50 metres from where a 14-year-old girl lost her life in raging water in the 2022 flood.
“We’ve had a fair number of rescues,” Matthew Bruce from Queensland Fire and Rescue said.
“We really urge all people on the roads just to take extra care.
“It’s much safer to turn around, don’t drown.”
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