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Evacuations continue across sodden Queensland

28 December 2010 21:52 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Queensland towns are bracing for further flooding today as residents in deluged communities continue to be evacuated amid the warning of more rain to come, APA reports quoting ABC News.

A massive rain system has caused record flooding in southern and central Queensland, with parts of those regions declared a disaster zone.

Army helicopters will this morning help complete evacuations at Theodore, south-west of Rockhampton, where the Dawson River is continuing to rise.

On the south-east coast, up to 200 homes are expected to be inundated at Bundaberg today when the city experiences its highest flood peak in 50 years.

Across the state about 1,000 residents have already been forced out of their homes and hundreds of roads and highways remain cut.

Rain is clearing from sodden central and southern Queensland but water is continuing to flow into already swollen rivers and tributaries and the situation across parts of the state is set to worsen again this week.

Disasters have been declared in Theodore, Chinchilla and Dalby, as well as in Alpha and Jericho in the central west and at Warra on the Western Downs, in what has been the worst flooding in decades.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Jimmy Stuart says flooding is set to continue across parts of the state today and flood peaks are still to be reached.

"We’ll see further rises along the Burnett, towards Bundaberg during today," he said.

"Certainly towards Rockhampton and Emerald we’ll see further rises during today and we’re also expecting rises down at towards Charleville to continue."

River levels are also causing concern in Theodore, Moura, Baralaba, Mundubbera, Gayndah, Chinchilla and Rockhampton.

Hydrologist Jimmy Stewart says flood levels are expected to remain high for several days.

"The Fitzroy Basin for example is absolutely huge and it will be well into the weekend before we can get an accurate assessment of what will happen at Rockhampton," he said.

"There’s three different areas that respond, for example, the central Highlands, the Connors Isaac system and the Dawson.

"The timing of those peaks will be crucial to what happens at Rockhampton."

Another 50 homes are also expected to go underwater in Chinchilla, in Queensland’s southern inland.

But senior forecaster Bryan Roleston says the rain system that has drenched the state, in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Tasha, is easing in other areas.

"There’s still little bits of patchy rain, showers running down the central coast down towards the south-east coast at the moment, but basically the heavier weather is offshore," he said.

"There’s some weak thunderstorms off the central coast and the trough that’s causing all the previous weather is moving up towards Bowen now."

Town underwater

Two military helicopters will this morning complete the mass evacuation from the central Queensland town of Theodore, which is almost completely underwater.

The Army Black Hawks are expected to take about 60 residents and their many dogs and cats to the safety of a mine camp at nearby Moura.

Banana Shire Councillor Vaughn Becker says he does not know how many animals are stranded.

"More than people - that’s all I"m prepared to say," he said.

Councillor Becker says residents were not happy about leaving their pets behind.

"A lot of them were very upset that they thought they may have to leave them but there has been changes of policy and now the pets can be included in the evacuation program," he said.

He says it was a spectacular flight when he caught the last chopper out of Theodore late yesterday.

"It was just mammoth water, but also certainly mixed feelings there," he said.

The final evacuation should be completed this morning as the residents and pets join the rest of the Theodore community at the mine in Moura.

The Local Government Association says there will be a huge damage bill from the floods.

Spokesman Greg Hoffman says roads, infrastructure and industry have been hard hit.

"Certainly the Banana Shire area of Theodore with the town evacuated effectively - never before has that happened," he said.

"The situation is certainly going to worsen over the next week, even though the rain is letting up."

Queensland’s overall damage bill has been tipped to exceed $1 billion.