Share and Follow
Intense rainfall in Far North Queensland has led to numerous rescue operations for drivers trapped in rising floodwaters.
At around 6 a.m. today, emergency responders came to the aid of a 65-year-old woman who found herself stranded atop her vehicle in Mossman, located northwest of Cairns.
An hour later, in Redlynch, Cairns, two individuals in their fifties were able to reach safety after being caught in sudden flooding due to more than 200 millimeters of rain pouring down within a six-hour span.
Premier David Crisafulli remarked, “Queensland’s wet season rain always poses challenges, and these are intensified when compounded by heavy rains and already swollen water systems.”
Meanwhile, in the Central West outback town of Longreach, located hundreds of kilometers to the south, the community of nearly 4,000 residents has been on edge for a week, awaiting a major flood that has now arrived.
“There’s about five kilometres of an inland ocean out there coming off the Thomson River,” Mayor Tony Rayner said.
The river rose to 6.12 metres by 9am with the peak of 6.5 metres expected late today.
Many residents including the owner of the Longreach Caravan Park weren’t taking any chances, sandbagging and moving furniture to higher ground having gone under water in the February 2000 disaster.
Those inundated face power and water being cut off.
The Landsborough Highway to Winton was cut off.
“A lot of food comes up and down that highway a lot of livestock so any closure has an impact,” Rayner said
But while the river’s rise has been slow it’s fall is expected to be relatively fast as it feeds down into Lake Eyre.
“That means there’s still water going through to Bedourie and to think a community impacted by really large rain over a fortnight ago are still waiting for floodwaters to reach its peak is equally incredibly frustrating,” Crisafulli said.