One person has died and thousands of others are under evacuation orders in Australia’s northeast after intense rain triggered dangerous flash floods that have inundated homes and businesses.
Flooding has hit large parts of the North Queensland coast since Friday, with the town of Ingham and the nearby city of Townsville heavily impacted. Residents in low-lying coastal suburbs and towns have been urged to evacuate immediately.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli confirmed that one person had died in the flooding in Ingham on Sunday.
“That’s a really tight-knit community, our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” Crisafulli said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “heartbreaking news,” in a post on X. “My thoughts are with the family and the entire community at this awful time.”
Albanese said the federal government “will supply whatever resources are required to deal with this event.”
In the Townsville suburb of Bluewater, an emergency alert was issued Sunday, with local disaster-response officials telling residents “your life may be at risk.”
“Water is rising fast and there will be dangerous and life-threatening flooding,” Townsville Local Disaster Management Group said. “If you do not leave it may become too dangerous for emergency services to rescue you.”
Residents in Townsville’s “black zone,” an area in the city most at risk from flooding, were warned to evacuate by midday on Sunday and Crisafulli said evacuation centers had been opened.
Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation has warned residents to be wary of crocodiles that could be lurking in the floodwaters, according to Nine News.
“During flooding crocodiles can turn up in places they haven’t been seen before as they move about in search of calmer waters,” the department said in a statement. “Expect crocodiles in all north and far north Queensland waterways even if there is no warning sign.”
Townsville, a city of about 200,000 people, was hit by devastating flooding in 2019 which was labeled by the then state premier as a “one-in-100-year event.”
Crisafulli said Sunday that this weekend’s rains could match those conditions.
“Take precautions, prepare for the worst, listen to the advice. This is a serious event,” he said.
The flooding comes after days of torrential rain and damaging winds brought on by two low pressure tropical systems, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Multiple areas have been hammered with 24-hour rainfall totals of up to 600 mm (about 23 inches), with some areas seeing 250 mm in just six hours, according to the bureau.
Torrential rain and heavy winds that could likely trigger further flash flooding are forecast to last through Monday, the bureau said.
Ingham could see its worst flooding in 60 years.
“The Herbert (river) reached 15.2 meters in that flood. It’s currently at 14.89 meters and rising. It’s expected to reach similar levels to 1967 during the day,” Crisafulli said.
