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03-02-2025
Bureau Report
SYDNEY: One person died on Sunday in Australia’s north Queensland state in heavy flooding, authorities said, urging thousands of people to move to higher ground due to torrential rains.
Queensland authorities said major flooding was underway in coastal Hinchinbrook Shire, a locality of around 11,000 people located about 500 km (310 miles) north of state capital Brisbane. Several suburbs in the nearby city of Townsville, were also impacted, authorities said.
North Queensland has large zinc reserves as well as major deposits of silver, lead, copper and iron ore, with Townsville a major processing centre for the region’s base metals. In 2019, severe floods in the area disrupted lead and zinc concentrate rail shipments and damaged thousands of properties.
“Residents in low lying areas should collect their evacuation kit and move to a safe place on higher ground. This situation may pose a threat to life and property,” regional emergency management authorities said on Sunday morning.
The flooding was triggered by heavy rain from a low pressure system rich in tropical moisture, Australia’s weather forecaster said on its website, adding that 24-hour rainfall totals were likely up to 300 mm (11.8 inches).
“The potential for heavy, locally intense rainfall and damaging winds may continue into early next week subject to the strength and position of the trough and low,” it said.
Frequent flooding has hit Australia’s east in recent years including “once in a century” floods that inundated the neighboring Northern Territory in January 2023 during a multi-year La Nina weather event.
Authorities were out early knocking on doors and asking homeowners to gather their loved ones and belongings and leave before it was too late.
Officials have also asked residents not to wait for the knock on their door to leave.
“Residents in the black zone must evacuate by 12 noon tomorrow,” Townsville Local Disaster Management Group Chair Andrew Robinson said yesterday.
Single-storey homes are most at risk, while flooding could reach second-storey floors, rescue crews have warned.
The 1967 floods peaked at 15.2m, Queensland Police said.
There have been rescues overnight in Ingham, around an hour out of Townsville helping several families evacuate their homes.
An evacuation centre has been set up at Heatley Secondary College at 321 Fulham Road in Heatley and a second has been set up at Townsville Sports Precinct at 24 Burke Street in North Ward, however only animals are being accepted at the second location. Damaging wind gusts of up to 100km/h across Townsville and much of North Queensland have made rescue missions and evacuations difficult.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a gale warning for the coast of Townsville and Cairns while more strong winds are forecast for Mackay today.
The bureau has warned there is potential for more intense rainfall over the state’s north into next week.
Major flood warnings were issued for several rivers around Queensland including;
The Herbert River, the Ross and Bohle Rivers, the Black River and Bluewater Creek
The Haughton River Catchment
Crisafulli shared a warning for Queenslanders under threat by the flooding and asked those in the “black zone” to pack their bags and leave.
Crisafulli told Today there is no end in sight yet for the heavy rains smashing the state’s north.
