Hundreds of homes are set to be affected as rising floodwater peaks at a sodden community.
Thousands of people could be isolated for days at the Queensland regional hub of Bundaberg after the Burnett River burst its banks, triggering memories of a 2010 disaster.
More than 400 homes and businesses are under threat, with the river set to peak at 7.6 metres early on Wednesday.
The news
The river is only just below the 7.92m levels of 16 years earlier when the city of more than 70,000 people was inundated and hundreds forced to evacuate.
Locals were asked to leave immediately late on Tuesday before the community’s two major bridges were shut down, leaving about 10,000 people isolated – potentially for several days.
Water rescue crews and extra emergency services, including more than 30 police officers, have been sent to the Bundaberg region in preparation.
Almost 800 roads across Queensland have been cut by floodwater after a tropical low left a trail of destruction, claiming about 1000 livestock.
Flooding has also affected the Northern Territory.
More rain has stalled the clean-up at Katherine, where hundreds of people remain in shelters, houses are still without power and crocodiles have been spotted in floodwater.
Hundreds of residents from the communities of Daly River, Palumpa, Beswick and Jilkminggan were airlifted at the weekend, mostly to Darwin.
Residents in the NT capital have been asked to minimise water use after flooding shut down a Darwin River Dam pump station.
Temporary generators have been put in place, with the full water supply set to return in the coming days.
Darwin residents have been thanked for restricting use but water pressure is still set to be reduced in homes on Wednesday to cope as the pump station is fixed.
What they said
Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn acknowledged the mental health impacts on people who had been caught up in previous floods and implored them to put their personal safety first.
“We’re not new to this, we’ve done it before,” she said.
“We can replace possessions. We can’t replace people.”
Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman Shenage Gamble said flood watches were in place across much of the Northern Territory, particularly on the Top End’s north-west coast including Darwin.
“Within this flood watch area, any river, creek, lagoon, billabong, any waterway, is going to be very, very responsive to heavy falls that can occur,” the bureau’s Shenage Gamble told reporters on Tuesday.
That could lead to localised and flash flooding, she said.
Road closures
There are more than 70 road closures due to flooding across the Bundaberg region, including on the Bruce Highway, Isis Highway and on several roads across Bundaberg South, Bundaberg Central, Sharon and Welcome Creek.
Authorities are warning people not to drive through flooded roads.
A full list of road conditions can be found on the Bundaberg Regional Council disaster dashboard.
Power outages
More than 2200 properties have lost power, including in Bundaberg Central, Sharon, Bundaberg South, Bundaberg North, Bundaberg East, Wallaville, Bundaberg West and Bungadoo.
Emergency warnings
An emergency warning urging people in the Bundaberg North, Bundaberg East, Bundaberg South and Bundaberg Central areas was issued at lunchtime on Tuesday to leave immediately due to major flooding on the Burnett River, which will cause flooding and isolation.
“Your life is at risk,” the warning advised.
The Bundaberg Recreational Precinct on Kendalls Road at Branyan has been established as an evacuation centre.
People living in Bungadoo, Pine Creek, Morganville, Sandy Hook and South Kolan were issued a “watch and act” alert on Monday at 8pm, and urged to prepare for moderate to major flooding to cause isolation and the potential for property flooding.
AAP
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