A succession of tropical weather systems has triggered one of northern Australia's most severe flooding events in recent years, with emergency authorities urging residents to move to higher ground as rivers swell and heavy rainfall continues across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
In the NT,the Katherine River peaked at 19.2m, the worst flooding there since 1998.The levee in the Northern Territory town of Katherine was topped by floodwaters that submerged the main street, entered shops and surrounding homes and forced power to be shut off to many properties.Police evacuated more than a thousand people across the territory on Saturday, with helicopters and aircraft deployed to communities in remote areas.About 1000 Territorians are currently sheltering in emergency centres across the region, with about 120 calls for help received in the past 24 hours.
Queensland has borne the worst of the wet weather in the past 48 hours. According to 9News,up to 240 millimetres of rain is expected to fall in a six-hour period in affected areas. Central Queensland and the southeast coast are experiencing the heaviest falls, withwidespread minor to moderate flooding possible across much of the state with isolated major flooding possible. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of potential six-hourly rainfall totals of up to 160mm in the Wide Bay and Burnett region.
Dramatic rescues have unfolded as floodwaters rose without warning. According to 9News,police issued a flood emergency warning for the Daintree River at 9.30pm on Thursday, saying flash flooding was already occurring. In central Queensland,a woman was rescued from the roof of a Tesla at Peachester on the Sunshine Coast after calling triple zero, with water having risen to the window. Police also pulled a schoolboy from the window of a car stuck in fast-moving floodwaters on a causeway at Bargara, near Bundaberg.
Emergency services are responding to overwhelming demand. 9News reports more than 100 calls for assistance have been made to the Queensland State Emergency Service, with numerous roads closed across central and southeast Queensland. The Burnett Highway at Booubyjan and roads across the Sunshine Coast and South Burnett region are impassable.
Authorities are warning of multiple dangers beyond the rising water.Authorities have issued stark warnings to stay out of floodwaters, with crocodiles reported "absolutely everywhere" and fast-moving rivers creating deadly conditions for anyone nearby. Police saidit's a fast flowing river, and also, this is where crocs are most active.
In Katherine specifically,NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro announced an emergency declaration for the Big Rivers region, triggering the closure of government schools and setting up three schools as emergency shelters with a capacity for 850 people.About 34 patients were being evacuated from the hospital, with 21 to be flown out to other health facilities.Twenty pregnant women were evacuated from a Northern Territory hospital as the flooding worsened.
The wet weather is expected to persist through the coming days before easing as the tropical systems move offshore.Emergency warnings have been issued for major flooding in several areas with immediate threat to life and property. Residents in affected areas have been urged to monitor local council warnings and emergency alerts, with the situation changing rapidly.
For those needing emergency help,Queensland residents should call Triple Zero 000 for life threatening emergency services or Queensland State Emergency Service 132 500 for non-life threatening flood emergencies.