Heavy rainfall and flooding have caused emergency alerts across north Queensland, with authorities urging residents to evacuate as waters rise rapidly. Townsville and the Hinchinbrook Shire are particularly hard hit, with some areas expected to see up to 700mm of rain in the past 24 hours. Swift water rescues are underway, and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming days.
An emergency alert has been issued for Hinchinbrook, with intense rainfall across north Queensland leading to 'dangerous and life-threatening' flooding. Residents in six Townsville suburbs have been told to leave their properties by midday. The Bureau of Meteorology says up to 700mm of rain has fallen in some areas in the past 24 hours, and more is expected. The Ingham Pump Station is forecast to reach 15 metres by early this afternoon.
Swift water rescues are underway in Cardwell, with reports of people stranded on the roofs of their homes. The Cassowary Coast Regional Council has issued an emergency alert for the Cardwell township, warning flooding already happening in low lying areas may spread. Townsville Local Disaster Management Group chair Andrew Robinson says while there will not be 'forced removals', authorities are urging people to evacuate homes as needed. He warned those considering staying put may be without power for days to come, or could become an isolated island. Premier David Crisafulli is on ABC News Breakfast giving an update on the situation in north Queensland. He says if those in impacted areas heed the warnings, 'we'll be able to get through this'. He says there's 'still a prospect' the flood event could be as bad as 2019, adding that some of the falls overnight 'in different parts were, quite frankly, at incredible levels'. 'Paluma got 620mm in the 20 hours to 6am, that's over half a metre of water in less than a day, that should give you a perspective of how big it is. 'While some of the falls were patchy and there were different amounts, there is the likelihood for the next few days of monsoonal rain.Patricia Murphy evacuated her Ingham home last night, heading to higher ground to stay with her friend Dora Morgan. 'Whatever we packed up and put on frames yesterday, it's probably floating now,' she said. She's lived in the town for nearly four decades and this is the worst flooding she's seen. Dora says the downstairs area at her place is flooding, 'lifting fridges and such', but that they'll be fine upstairs. She says she's stashed her mower and golf buggy over at the neighbour's place and 'leaving the rest to nature'. Emergency services were called to Robertson Street just before 7am, where a man was found clinging to a fence. The man was rescued and taken to hospital in a stable condition. By Bridget Walker Those evacuating their homes in Ingham and across the Hinchinbrook Shire are being reminded to bring their own food and bedding. Reporting by Chloe Chomicki and Aaron Kelly in Townsville Jenny Messer lives right on the Idalia lakes in Townsville, an area that was badly flooded in the 2019 monsoon event. Her house survived that flood, and she is hopeful it will withstand the heavy rain. These photos were taken this morning by Carina Chesson in Ingham. As we heard earlier this morning, the Ingham Pump Station is forecast to reach 15 metres by early this afternoon.
FLOODING EMERGENCY NORTH QUEENSLAND TOWNSVILLE HINCHINBROOK EVACUATIONS BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY DAVID CRISAFULLI
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