Residents in the Queensland city of Townsville – where up to 500 homes are already under water – were urged to seek higher ground on Sunday as heavy downpours forced the floodgates to the city’s swollen Ross river dam to be completely opened. A heavy deluge of rain on Sunday pushed dam levels to almost 250% capacity with authorities having to open the floodgates, almost doubling the amount of water flowing out of the catchment. Close to 2,000 cubic metres of water was surging out of the dam every second after 9pm on Sunday, prompting warnings from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology to residents in low-lying areas. “You can expect high velocity flows and unprecedented areas of flooding to occur in the Ross River Catchment,” said spokesman Bruce Gunn. “It could change continuously and unpredictably over the course of this evening into [Monday] morning.” The Ross River at Aplin Weir was at 3.11 metres and rising late on Sunday night, with authorities expecting it to reach four metres. The extra water could flood more homes along the river with people in several suburbs including Rosslea, Hermit Park and Townsville City told to move to higher ground immediately. Sky News reported that emergency services personnel were ordered to leave the flood zone due to uncertainty about the dam. The monsoon trough that has been dumping vast amounts of rain on Queensland’s north for a week has rewritten Townsville’s record books. In just seven days the city had a 1,012mm eclipsing the previous record of 886mm set on the city’s so-called Night of Noah when large areas of the city went under back in 1998. Parts of north and central Queensland could get another half a metre to a metre of rain over the next few days. Authorities have pleaded with Townsville residents who are still in their homes to get ready. “We don’t know when this event will end,” said the Townsville mayor, Jenny Hill. “We cannot give you any certainty about what we are going to need to do into the future.” Intense rainfall developing again over #Townsville after a short reprieve as a #monsoon convergence band forms over the city. The situation continues to evolve rapidly - follow @QldFES @QldPolice advice and our warnings at https://t.co/mBhBxvPwaf #BigWet pic.twitter.com/s0DJDG58Mc — Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 3, 2019 Townsville airport announced it had cancelled all flights in and out just after 6pm due to safety concerns. With water levels at waist and chest height in some suburban streets, the local police chief and district disaster coordinator, Steve Munro, said the crisis was only half over. If things go the city’s way, the flood might not affect any or many more than the 400 to 500 properties already inundated. But he warned: “It could move up to the 10,000, 20,000 [mark]. That’s the worst-case scenario we’re looking at if things keep going pear-shaped. We don’t want to get to that stage.” The monsoon trough has brought driving rain to other parts of the state, including drought-hit communities to the west. At Hughenden, properties faced inundation with more major falls forecast as far as Mount Isa near the Northern Territory border. Back on the east coast, communities from Ingham to Mackay, 500km away, were at risk of flash flooding and damaging winds, including the possibility of tornadoes. Residents walk through floodwaters in Hermit Park, Townsville. Photograph: Andrew Rankin/AAP In Townsville, people shared stories of their escape from the fast-rising floodwaters. One Hermit Park resident, Randall Parker, used a blow-up air bed to float his family to safety after water rapidly swallowed his unit. “It is just unbelievable ... It just keeps bucketing down,” he told the Sunday Mail. “I just had to get the family out including a newborn baby as quick as possible.” Amelia Rankin in floodwaters in Hermit Park, Townsville. Photograph: Andrew Rankin/AAP The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said because of the severity of the weather, schools that were closed on Friday in Townsville would remain closed on Monday. The government was examining whether to close other schools in the area from Bowen to Proserpine. The SES said it had responded to over 570 calls for help, including 35 swift water rescues. Graham Crighton kayaks in floodwaters in Hermit Park, Townsville. Photograph: Andrew Rankin/AAP The monsoonal deluge has been declared a catastrophe by the Insurance Council of Australia, with losses estimated at $16.7m so far. Disaster assistance was being extended for communities in Townsville, Charters Towers, Palm Island, Richmond and Burdekin, the Queensland government announced on Saturday night. It would be delivered through the jointly funded Commonwealth-Queensland Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.<doc-sep>Townsville flooding forces hundreds to evacuate, leaves police clinging to trees after dam gates fully opened Updated Authorities warn the worst is not over as another rain band descends on Townsville with hundreds of residents evacuated and thousands of homes inundated by floodwaters. Two police officers were also caught in floodwaters after floodgates to the city's dam were fully opened on Sunday night. Key points: QFES and SES received more than 1,000 calls for assistance overnight The dam level is slowly falling, recorded at 217 per cent capacity at 6:00pm on Monday Almost 1,000 Townsville residents have taken shelter in the city's evacuation centres The officers were helping to evacuate people in Hermit Park when they themselves became trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters. Their police vehicle was washed away and they were left clinging to trees for about half an hour before a swift water rescue crew arrived. Crews also rescued two people trapped on the roof of their car in nearby Hyde Park. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Commissioner Katarina Carroll said authorities had conducted 18 swift water rescues and assisted with 1,100 relocations within 24 hours. You can read back over today’s flood crisis as it happened in our blog. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said several thousand homes may have been inundated but a damage assessment to determine the exact number was yet to be conducted. "There are major flood warnings for the Flinders, Cloncurry River, the Leichhardt River, the Horton River, the Ross River and the upper Burdekin Dam," she said. "We also have a number of isolated communities Normanton, Coorumba, Doomadgee, McKinlay and Julia Creek. "There is still heavy rainfall across this area, this monsoonal trough just doesn't seem to want to move much at all." SES Regional Manager Daryl Camp said the workload continued to be demanding with flood boats and helicopters being used to evacuate people. "We're now getting more requests all morning for people to be evacuated," he said. "It's a very long process unfortunately to move so many people." Approximately 1,000 people have taken shelter at evacuation centres. Sorry, this video has expired Video: Water levels rise in Townsville (ABC News) The emergency shelter at Cranbrook is at capacity but a sixth shelter located at Walker Street has been set up to provide another 50 beds. The opening of the floodgates at Townsville's Ross River Dam has been releasing 1,900 cubic metres of water per second. The dam level is slowly falling, recorded at 217 per cent capacity at 6:00pm on Monday, down from a peak of 244.8 per cent at 2:00am. Residents are being urged to conserve water as the flooding has caused a number of pipes to burst and put pressure on the Douglas Treatment Plant. 'Very, very long couple of days' Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said hundreds of local residents had fled their homes and were now sheltering in evacuation centres. "What we've seen overnight, the amount of water coming down, has affected obviously the suburbs we predicted," Cr Hill said. "We want people just to stay safe … we've given all the warnings we can to the community. This is going to be a very, very long couple of days." Rain eases, but more on radar There was some relief on Sunday night with rainfall in Townsville not as heavy as forecast, but further heavy rainfall has continued throughout Monday. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) recorded between 300mm and 400mm in the Ross River catchment and between 150mm to 200mm around Townsville in the 24 hours to 9:00am on Monday morning. The bureau also warned of the possibility of water spouts and tornadoes developing along the coast between Ayr and Mackay. BOM senior forecaster Jonty Hall said the monsoon trough that was bringing the rain was expected to move further south. "That will bring areas like the Central Coast, Mackay, Whitsundays into the equation," he said. "If that were to occur that would lead to some easing through the Townsville area which would certainly be good news, but we'll have to wait to see if that occurs." All schools in the Townsville area remained closed on Monday and may also be closed on Tuesday. The Townsville Airport reopened on Monday afternoon after being closed on Sunday night. Topics: rainfall, weather, floods, disasters-and-accidents, emergency-incidents, emergency-planning, townsville-4810, mount-isa-4825, qld, australia, ingham-4850, mackay-4740, innisfail-4860, cairns-4870, brisbane-4000, cardwell-4849 First posted<doc-sep>While tears of despair are being shed in Townsville amid record flooding, home inundation and emergency rescues, it’s a very different story across other parts of the north. WHILE tears of despair are being shed in Townsville amid record flooding, home inundation and emergency rescues, it’s the opposite across other parts of the north. Cloncurry recently set a record for the most consecutive days above 40C and is now washing off the heat with 388mm of rain. Mayor Greg Campbell said the Cloncurry River was flowing and the Chinaman Creek Dam spilling over. “Just in time”: Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell “It is a great relief to the community. The old timers always say the only way to break a drought is with a flood,” he said. Cr Campbell said the rains fell “just in time”. Elsewhere in what had been drought country, Mount Isa has recorded 232mm since the rains began late last week and the Gereta Station catchment, on the Leichhardt River, recorded 529mm, with 232mm in a single day. Richmond welcomed more than 400mm and Mayor John Wharton said the graziers could not be happier. “In the cattle industry, they say to wait until February until you panic so it’s just in time. We’re hoping in a couple of months we’ll have green fields and fat cattle.” Food drops are feeding cattle stranded by floodwater, he said. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the rains were a relief for farmers who had struggled with the severe drought. “There were ... a few tears of happiness.” It happens as the flooding emergency continues in Townsville, with more than 400 people were evacuated from the Townsville suburb of Idalia overnight. Soldiers were today using every boat they could get their hands on to evacuate more Townsville residents amid fears up to 2000 properties may have been inundated, with emergency food and groceries to be trucked in this afternoon. Authorities were this morning dealing with a fresh wave of calls from residents asking for help to leave their homes. IN PICTURES: Townsville flood crisis Where the evacuation centres are across Townsville Disaster plan reveals what happens if the Ross River Dam fails Residents were this morning being ferried to safety by helicopters as well as boats. A total of 14,553 homes and businesses remain without power as of 3pm on Monday afternoon, as Ergon Energy warns residents about the dangers of generators running in their homes. Homes across Annandale, Cluden, Idalia, Oonoonba, Shaw, Wulguru, Railway Estate, Douglas, Kelso, Condon, Thuringowa, Hermit Park, Pimlico, Currajong, Hyde Park, Mundingburra, Garbutt, and Mysterton are affected by power outages. A spokeswoman for Ergon Energy urged customers to be patient, with crews unable to restore power in many places due to substations being flooded. She said in those cases crews would need to wait for floodwaters to subside before any damage can be assessed. “The biggest impact has been in Hermit Park where the substation was switched off late yesterday when water entered the switchyard,” the Ergon spokeswoman said. “Our number one priority is to keep everyone safe around our network — water and electricity don’t mix. “Preventing major flood damage to electrical assets will also lead to more efficient restoration for the community. “Significant restoration of customers will not occur until the floodwaters have receded and crews have completed damage assessments of the inundated network.” Flooding at the Hermit Park Substation. Picture: Ergon Energy Two police officers were among those rescued in Townsville overnight as a wall of water rushed through the already flood-stricken city when the Ross River Dam gates automatically tripped open after days of torrential rain. HUGE 400mm DELUGE DUMPED IN A DAY REPORTS OF CROCODILES IN STREETS DOWNLOAD MAP OF DANGER ZONES (PDF 900KB) Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill has since reassured the city that the Ross River Dam was safe and at a stable level. She said that at about 11am today the dam was sitting at 230.6 per cent, having fallen from 247 per cent over the last 12 hours ago. Cr Hill said the dam had been designed to open at a set level to ensure its integrity and that the “dam has done its job”. Leslie Noble carries his aunty Clara Fullerton across floodwaters on the corner of Norris Street and Queens Road. Picture: Zak Simmonds Residents of at least 20 suburbs have been told to evacuate as up to 20,000 homes are feared to be at risk in what is Townsville’s worst flood on record. Floodwaters were today about waist deep in Idalia, which was one of the worst areas hit. Ross River Dam as it releases water due to flooding rain. Picture: Zak Simmonds Speaking this morning, Major Beau Hodge began to get emotional as he spoke about having to rescue his family from Idalia while also helping the rest of the community. The Army Major said his house was “gone”. “It was very wet, I’m lucky my family are safe and well,” he said. “We’ll be right.” However the Army does not know how many people still need to be evacuated, with the third brigade to continue their water evacuations today. “There really isn’t any training for this sort of thing, I wouldn’t say we train for these sort of evacuations,” Major Hodge said. “Anyone who is not on a second story has water moving through their house.” Townsville residents were being warned that 11am this morning would be critical as the tide rises again. Water Police rescue Rodney Lynne from a Carr Street home in Hermit Park. Picture: Zak Simmonds Queensland Fire and Emergency Services told The Courier-Mail a massive 850 SES calls were made in the 24 hours leading up to 5am today, as more than 400mm of rain drenched some parts of North Queensland. PHOTOS: Monster monsoon continues to lash Townsville More than 500 people had already been relocated from Townsville and surrounding areas by this morning. Military troops in inflatable Zodiac boats are rescuing hundreds of people trapped in homes hit by the unprecedented flash flood in a huge rescue operation unfolding in the city. Two police and two ambulance officers caught in the flooding had to be plucked to safety — one officer having to climb a tree — after they were stranded in the flood disaster overnight while themselves trying to help others. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said planning was being undertaken to work out what resources Townsville needs going forward. Townsville developer Brad Webb helped to sandbag his daughter’s unit from rising flood water. Photo: Michael Chambers. CROCODILES ON STREETS, EVACUATION CENTRES FILLING Locals also reported several sightings of large crocodiles as a raging torrent of floodwater rips through the heart of the city. Residents had to be rescued from their rooftops last night as the dam’s waters swept through. Almost 20 people were rescued overnight by swiftwater rescue crews. The crews were operating through the night as water levels continued to rise. Queensland police said they were responding to multiple jobs. “There are hundreds and hundreds of calls for assistance,” a spokeswoman said. “Even though there have been plenty of warnings, the floodwaters have still taken many by surprise. “We have dozens of code-two jobs, our most serious jobs, at the moment.” Flood evacuation centres are jam-packed as soldiers from Townsville’s third brigade work to evacuate desperate residents from Idalia and Oonoonba areas swallowed by flooding about 1.30am. A sixth evacuation centre has opened after one of the existing sites — Ignatius Park College — said it was full and couldn’t take any more people. Tina Stephensen cries as she is rescued by a swiftwater Rescue Crew in Fraire St, Hermit Park. Picture: Zak Simmonds About 1000 people have taken refuge in those centres. The Townsville City Council estimates up to 2000 properties may have been affected by floodwaters, but there’s no way to be sure just yet. Townsville is braced for more rain on Monday with six-hourly falls of 150mm-200mm likely, and isolated falls of up to 300mm possible. Disaster officials said elements of the Joint Task Force 658 unit using 15 small rigid hull inflatable boats (Zodiacs) are “conducting evacuation of members of the community as fast as they can”.<doc-sep>
Townsville dam spillway gates open fully, with flood zone facing further inundation Updated The gates of Townsville's dam have opened to their full setting, with the city council warning several suburbs should prepare for imminent flooding from a rapidly rising Ross River. Key points: Townsville sets a new seven-day rainfall record as flood emergency continues The opening of the spillway releases about 1,900 cubic metres of water per second Flooding from the dam release could affect 21 suburbs The Ross River Dam is releasing approximately 2,000 cubic metres of water per second, but was at 247 per cent capacity at midnight. The Bureau of Meteorology has increased its overnight rainfall prediction to 450 millimetres over the dam catchment by the end of Monday. The council says dangerous and high-velocity flows will occur and residents in the suburbs of Rosslea, Hermit Park, Railway Estate, Townsville City, Oonoonba, Idalia, Cluden, West End, Rowes Bay, Garbutt, Aitkenvale, Cranbrook, Currajong, Mysterton, Pimlico, Mundingburra, Douglas, Annandale, Kirwan, Thuringowa Central and South Townsville areas should prepare for imminent flooding. The council says an evacuation centre at Ignatius Park College at Cranbrook is now at capacity. Other centres are still operating at Burdell, Heatley, Alligator Creek and Bluewater. Bureau of Meteorology hydrologist Andrew Preece said with the dam gates fully open, the threat to Townsville homes was unprecedented. "What that means is we'll see dangerous and high-velocity flows in Ross River, resulting in risk to life and property," he said. "We'll see unprecedented areas of flooding in Townsville, a number of access routes cut, over the next 24 hours or so." Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said dam operators were unable to stop the spillway gates from opening automatically. "Sadly, we received a huge burst of rain at about 1.30 this afternoon for about three hours, that just tipped us over," she said. "We thought we'd been able to manage it, but the rainfall we had, there was nothing we could do." Police said they had received a number of calls from people asking to be evacuated in Idalia and neighbouring Oonoonba. 'Tough night' ahead Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk toured the area on Sunday, saying it was "just torrential rain up here". "There has never been rain like this and the dam is going to get all the catchments of further water coming in, so we need everyone to take care," she said. "We're not out of this yet — it's not just the next 24 hours — this is going to go on for many days to come. "But the concern tonight of course is when those gates open — those low-lying areas — so please everybody listen to the alerts. "This is going to be a tough night — torrential conditions, the rain is coming down, the wind is gusty, it's not a night to be out on the road at all, but we need people to be safe." SES North Queensland regional manager Daryl Camp said rescue services were ready to help anyone. "We have pre-positioned resources all around the city so that we can still respond — fire and rescue, swift-water and rural fire — all over Townsville, so it doesn't matter where you are, we can still offer a response." The Townsville Airport has been shut for safety reasons as the city experiences the unprecedented flood disaster. All flights in and out of the north Queensland city have been cancelled, with diversions for any flights due to land. Heavy rainfall and destructive winds predicted The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a severe weather warning at 7:37pm Sunday predicting heavy rainfall, destructive winds and significant flash flooding between Ingham and Bowen, potentially extending as far south as Mackay from Monday. BOM said the monsoon trough was expected to shift slowly south over the next day or two to extend from Bowen, west to Hughenden and into the Gulf Country. Further heavy rainfall has been predicted for already saturated catchments in the area for the week ahead. BOM forecaster Dean Narramore said at 11:30am Sunday, there had been some extraordinary rainfall numbers coming in for the Townsville area, with a number of locations receiving over a metre of rain over in the last seven days. "Particularly a number of locations to the west of Townsville where we've seen 1.4 to 1.6 metres of rain — for some locations this is approaching their yearly average in just a week," Mr Narramore said.