More rain sparks fresh flood fears for sodden Qld
Remnants of an ex-cyclone will bring even more wet weather to the Queensland outback, triggering fears that flooding could worsen.
Floodwaters twice the size of Victoria have inundated western Queensland after record rainfall, forcing many, including an entire town, to evacuate.
The regionâs flooding is considered the worst in more than 50 years and could last weeks, sparking fears of mass livestock losses.
However, locals have been warned that water levels could rise again with the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Dianne bringing more rain.
âWith more rainfall to come, this will fall particularly across flood-affected parts of outback Queensland which are already being heavily impacted by this flooding,â the Bureau of Meteorologyâs Jonathan How said.
âAdditional rainfall could cause more renewed creek and river level rises and in some parts, may prolong some of those flooding impacts.â
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Remote communities near the Northern Territoryâs Alice Springs and Uluru were also expected to be affected by ex-cyclone Dianneâs remnants after the system crossed Western Australiaâs north-west coast days ago.
The wet weather is then forecast to push into central Queensland and down to northern NSW by Tuesday. Rain is not expected to ease for days.
The heaviest falls will hit southern Queensland and northern NSW on Wednesday, with totals exceeding 100 millimetres in some areas.
More rain will ensure further hardship for graziers, sparking fears for some that they will lose all of their stock.
The full extent of the damage wonât be known until the flooding eases, which could take weeks.
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âWeâre talking about a massive loss⌠in relation to their livestock, cattle, sheep and goats,â Queensland Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie said.
âSome of those families and some of those farmers have been on the land for a long time â it might take a long time to recover.â
Helicopter pilots have gathered to help evacuation efforts in the southwest, with Adavaleâs entire population of about 30 people rescued in recent days.
They have also helped drop off food supplies and livestock fodder, with roads cut or badly damaged by floodwaters.
âA lot of the creeks are still up and what roads are open, theyâre pretty gouged out,â said Anne-Maree Lloyd, who had to evacuate her Jedburgh homestead near the Barcoo River.
âSemi-trailers with a full load of hay just wouldnât get along them.
âThe logistics of getting that supply into where itâs needed is a big issue at the moment. Thereâs just so much water around.â
Also in Queensland, about 70 people were evacuated from Thargomindah, about 1000 kilometres west of Brisbane, on Monday morning as the flooding threat spread in the sodden state.
A levee bank protecting the community broke, prompting repair crews to launch recovery efforts on Monday.
âThe area of land covered by flood water at the moment in western Queensland is double the size of Victoria, thatâs what weâre talking about,â Purdie said.
Thargomindah expected seven metres of floodwaters in coming days, AgForce general president Shane McCarthy said
âThereâs unprecedented levels of flooding out there,â he said.
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