Queensland authorities have said the state’s north was entering “unprecedented territory” as monsoon rains battered the city of Townsville, setting record flood levels and destroying homes. As the natural disaster entered its four day, the state emergency service confirmed on Saturday that 80 people had been rescued. It was too early to quantify the damage to homes, although some media reports said at least 50 homes had been affected so far. “We have not been in this scenario before,” said the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk. “There has been a lot of rain that has been falling, especially over the Townsville catchment, and some of these levels are unprecedented. “It is very important that you listen to the local authorities today.” The worst of the conditions were expected over the next two days, and authorities described the next 48 hours as “crucial”. On Friday, Palaszczuk had described the incoming monsoon as a “once in a 100-year” event and Townsville was declared a disaster zone. SES volunteers are seen rescuing residents in Rosslea, Townsville Photograph: Andrew Rankin/AAP Authorities said it was crucial that residents listened to emergency measures, did not drive through floodwaters and paid urged heed to warnings about moving to higher ground. “From Mackay north and west, there is going to be flooding so for the broader community, please, if it’s flooded, just forget it,” the state’s disaster coordinator, Bob Gee, said on Saturday. Between 100mm and 300mm of rain was expected within the next 24 hours and the town’s seven-day rainfall record was also likely to be toppled. “Townsville is currently seeing a record flood height of the Ackland Weir,” Gee said. “Earlier this morning it was a height of 2.36m but we can expect that, with forecast rainfall, to reach up to 2.9m over the weekend at some stage.” A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the areas at risk over the next few days included Herbert and Lower Burdekin. “We expect the peak in the rainfall to recur again tonight and continuing into next week,” he said. “There’s several more days to go in this flood event.” An emergency alert flood message was in place for residents in areas adjacent to the Bohle River, Saunders Creek and Stoney Creek, and for the suburbs of Deeragun, Jensen and Burdell. Schools and businesses in Townsville were to remain shut and thousands of residents had been evacuated to higher ground, AAP reported. Homes and businesses have been destroyed as flash floods washed through streets, sweeping away cars, equipment and livestock. Just another fun day in #Townsville . It never rains here; it #floods . Being in a QLDer on 4M steel stumps has its benefits. The Mazdarati is safe at Dad's above the 1946 floodline and we have the Rover! Only leaving if the power cuts. #TownsvilleFloods2019 pic.twitter.com/KLQZJjrsmB — madvoice (@madvoice) February 1, 2019 Landslips destabilised an apartment complex, blocked roads and caused homes to be evacuated. As of Saturday morning, 100 homes were at risk from the bulging Ross River dam, which was at 185% of capacity late on Friday. Soldiers were mobilised to help sand-bag vulnerable properties as authorities went door to door telling people they should leave at-risk homes. The worsening flood conditions in north Queensland come as fire services in Tasmania battle blazes that have destroyed wilderness areas in the pristine island state. Palaszczuk acknowledged that the heavy rainfall had been better news for drought-affected parts of Queensland, west of Townsville. Flood warnings remained in place for the following catchments: Mulgrave, Russell, Tully, Murray, Herbert, Ross, Bohle, Haughton, Burdekin, Don, Isaac, Leichhardt, Nicholson, Gregory, Flinders, Cloncurry and Diamantina Rivers. Further north, coastal communities on the Gulf of Carpentaria had been told to prepare for the highest tides of the year as the monsoon trough whipped up gale force winds.<doc-sep>The floodgates of Townsville’s Ross River Dam have automatically opened, with residents of numerous suburbs in the firing line. Meanwhile, the city’s airport has closed. LATEST UPDATES THE Ross River Dam floodgates are fully open, with hundreds of thousands of megalitres spilling over. Townsville City Council and Queensland police are urging residents in the nearby suburbs to prepare for imminent flooding from a rapidly rising Ross River. Disaster plan reveals what happens if the Ross River Dam fails Up to 20,000 Townsville homes could go under water, police warn Townsville floods declared a catastrophe by Insurance Council Townsville floods: Townsville Mayor, Queensland Premier, emergency services and Bureau update community on disaster Suburbs to be affected include Rosslea, Hermit Park, Railway Estate, Townsville City, Oonoonba, Isalia, Cluden, West End, Rowes Bay, Garbutt, Aitkenvale, Cranbrook, Currajong, Musterton, Pimlico, Mundingburra, Douglas, Annandale, Kirwan and Thuringowa Central and South Townsville areas. The warning comes after the Bureau of Meteorology released a serious warning for the area warning of a “risk to life and property”. People in the affected suburbs above are being urged to reach higher ground and move away from riverbanks. The Ross River Dam spillway will release approximately 1900 cubic metres of water per second out of the dam, which as of 7pm was at 245.8 per cent capacity - a total of 573,059 megalitres. MAP OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED PROPERTIES (PDF 900KB) The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of dangerous and high velocity flows in the Ross River from Sunday night into Monday, after Townsville was hit with record breaking rainfall. The seven-day total to 9am Sunday was 1012mm, beating the previous seven day record of 996mm in 1998. This rainfall also beats the 10 day record of 925mm in 1953, with the bureau predicting many other locations will have record breaking rainfall totals. The Ross River at Aplin Weir is currently at 3.11 metres and rising, with major flooding, and is forecast to reach around four-metres late Sunday evening with further rises possible. AIRPORT CLOSED Townsville Airport has closed, with all flights in and out cancelled. The airport released a statement via Twitter urging passengers to contact their airlines for further details regarding their flight options. The decision to keep the airport closed will be reassessed in the morning. The action has been taken as the city’s flood crisis worsens. Water is released from Ross River Dam. Picture: Zak Simmonds PALM IS. WATER WARNING Residents in the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council area are being urged to boil all drinking water until further notice. The emergency alert was issued after the current deluge impacted the water treatment plant. People in the area are being urged to spread the message and to tell family and friends, and to monitor the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council website for further updates. SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED All state schools in Townsville and surrounding areas will remain closed tomorrow due to significant flooding. Education Minister Grace Grace said the decision to close all state schools in the flood zone was made to ensure the safety and welfare of staff and students. 1As the weather event moves further south, the department will also monitor developing conditions in the areas from Bowen to Proserpine,” she said. “I strongly urge parents to continue checking the Department’s School Closures website for the most up-to-date information about the status of schools in affected areas over the coming days as the situation is subject to change. “The safety of all of our staff, our students and their families will always be our highest priority.” There are 42 state schools closed, 21 Catholic and Independent Schools closed and 119 Early Childhood Education and Care Services closed. The school closures website – a live website that is constantly updated – can be found here. Parents should check local weather conditions and road access, and place their safety — and that of their children — above all else. A spokesman for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the Government had cancelled plans to hold a community cabinet on the Sunshine Coast this week due to the flooding disaster unfolding in North Queensland. Flooding at Giru, southeast of Townsville. Photo: Les Moffitt MORE RAIN TO COME WILD weather and saturating rain in the state’s north is set to continue into Wednesday, with the possibility of tornadoes. Townsville’s rainfall totals are an all time record, even surpassing the “Night of Noah” event of 1998. The Bureau of Meteorology say seven day totals in Townsville have reached 1,012mm as of 9am this morning, smashing the previous record of 886mm. BOM state manager Bruce Gunn said wild weather will continue with severe weather warnings for almost all of the Gulf of Carpentaria coast including Torres Strait Island for abnormally high tides and another severe warning current for much of North Queensland. He said the affects of the monsoonal trough was still to come with damaging winds expected and potential for tornadoes. “The possibility of wind gusts also exist with the onshore flow and there is some chance of tornadoes forming in that onshore flow as the convergence lines feed into the monsoon … there’s enough favourable wind sheer to make that possible,” Mr Gunn said. Emergency alerts have been issued for Hyde Park, Aitkenvale, Kurrajong, Rosslea, Pimlico, Mysterton and Mundingburra. Residents are being advised that the heavy intense rainfall on top of elevated flood levels is likely to cause flash flooding. Authorities urge residents to move to higher ground immediately if they are concerned. Evacuation centres are open at Heatley Secondary College on Fulham Road, and Ignatius Park College on Ross River Road. An emergency alert for residents of Hughenden in the state’s northwest has been also been issued. Flood water from the Flinders River is expected to cause flooding on the north side of the river. PHOTOS: Monster monsoon continues to lash Townsville OVERNIGHT: Officials fear today is D-Day for Townsville, as extreme rainfall and a catastrophic flood disaster engulfs the 185,000-strong north Queensland city. Locals witnessed incredible scenes of flash-flooding and 500 evacuations in nine of the hardest-hit suburbs — where 20,000 homes could be impacted in a worst-case scenario. Tens of thousands of families woke to an unprecedented one-in-100-year deluge with severe weather unloading as far west as Cloncurry and a 700km stretch from Cairns to Mackay. Police, swiftwater rescue crews and soldiers scrambled to respond as locals used makeshift rafts to self-evacuate with newborn babies, pets and belongings as flooding swamped hundreds of homes. Dire forecasts of relentless torrential rain under a tropical monsoon with daily falls of almost 400mm — and up to 2m of total rainfall by next week — has much of the state’s north on a knife edge with rivers at record highs. Disaster experts hope to avoid a similar scenario to the crippling Brisbane floods in 2011 with local authorities taking the unprecedented step on Friday to open floodgates at Ross River Dam, which is under strain and above 200 per cent capacity. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the next 24 to 48 hours were crucial as the “unprecedented” weather system pounded Townsville. “We are in uncharted territory here,’’ she said. “When we use words like ‘unprecedented’ and ‘uncharted’, we use this for a reason. There’s more rain to come. “But please do not panic — we have a plan, we just want you to be safe.” North Queensland has had 1000mm of rain in the past eight days. Acting Chief Superintendent Steve Munro warned yesterday afternoon that a lot more water was on its way. “If we keep going the way we’re going … 10,000 or 20,000 homes (could be impacted by floods),” he said. “Do not panic, have a look outside and make a really smart, informed decision. (But) the window is closing very very quickly.” Railway Estate resident Tracie Ensbey took her family to the Heatley Evacuation Centre. Picture: Michael Chambers Mayor Jenny Hill said public safety was top priority. “We ask anyone who is doorknocked and lives in a low-set home to consider leaving because their home may be flooded,’’ she said. Cr Hill said authorities were managing Ross River Dam levels to avoid a repeat of Brisbane’s flood disaster.<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. Earlier on Sunday, BOM state manager Bruce Gunn said tornado-strength winds were possible along the north Queensland coast during the day. Mr Gunn also said six-hour rain totals of 150-200 millimetres were predicted along the coast from Ingham to Bowen during Sunday, accompanied by strong wind gusts. Townsville disaster coordinator Assistant Chief Superintendent Steve Munro said there were 82,000 houses in Townsville and flood modelling predicted up to a quarter would be affected by flooding in the worst-case scenario. "At the moment, we have probably got 400, 500 [homes] affected [by flooding]," he said. "The modelling says what it is going to say — it could move up to the 10,000, 20,000 [homes]. We don't want to get to that stage [but] we can't control that." Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace has confirmed all state schools in Townsville and surrounding areas will remain closed on Monday. Ms Grace said the decision to close all state schools in the flood zone had been made in the interests of the safety and welfare of staff, students and school communities. Heavy falls over Ingham Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) chief superintendent Lance Duncan said swift water specialists remained on alert, with warnings of more torrential rain and flash flooding between Ingham, Townsville and Bowen over the next two days. "QFES has assisted in 220 relocations of people from their residences," he said. "The SES has received about 570 requests for assistance and that's just over the last 24 hours and working with the Defence Force too, the SES [distributing] 20,000 sandbags in the Townsville area." Meanwhile, trucks are backed up for kilometres at Cardwell in far north Queensland waiting for the Bruce Highway to reopen. The Bruce Highway is closed at Arnot Creek, about 125 kilometres north of Townsville, and at several spots near Ingham. Authorities are stopping drivers who are trying to head south at Cardwell, with an increasing number of travellers and tourists stuck in the small coastal town. Some truck drivers like Andrew Kmet are not only concerned for their deliveries but also for their families. "We live at Bushland Beach in Townsville and my wife Tamara is with my four children aged between three and six years old," he said. "I just want to get home, sandbag it, and make sure everything is alright. "I did deliveries in Cairns and here last night and they closed it shortly after. "My main problem is being stopped where I know the water isn't even coming up to my diffs and I can get through, but they won't let me." The highway has been closed at Arnot Creek since about 11:30pm on Saturday, and with more rain forecast to hit the region on Sunday and Monday, it remains uncertain when it will reopen. Police remain on the other side of the road closures to deter anyone who might take the risk. There have also been more falls in western Queensland. Julius Dam near Mount Isa in the state's north-west received 199mm in the past 24 hours. Mount Isa and Cloncurry have received 50 to 80mm and further heavy falls are expected yesterday and today. Topics: floods, disasters-and-accidents, weather, rainfall, emergency-incidents, emergency-planning, townsville-4810, qld, cairns-4870, mackay-4740, innisfail-4860, brisbane-4000, cardwell-4849, mundingburra-4812, australia First posted<doc-sep>
Townsville flooding could worsen with more heavy rain and dam releases Updated Up to 20,000 homes could be flooded in the coming days if rain continues to fall in north Queensland as heavily as it has been, authorities have warned. Key points: The level of Townsville's Ross River Dam has topped 212 per cent of capacity Dam releases set to continue, about 100 Townsville homes evacuated The weather bureau says heavy rain will continue for at least another 48 hours Acting Chief Superintendent Steve Munroe said the current mapping showed up to 500 homes were at risk of being impacted by floodwaters on Saturday night. "If it continues tomorrow [Sunday] and the next day we could be up towards the 10,000 to 20,000," he said. "We have time on our hands, it's those vulnerable communities at the moment, those homes in the low-lying areas where you've seen the water in the backyard. "The simple fact of the matter is we're expecting more water tonight and we don't want you to be sitting in your homes at 2 o'clock in the morning going 'uh oh, I should have got out this afternoon', so the window is closing very very quickly." Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said police and Defence Force personnel were door knocking suburbs around Townsville. "We are asking for people to self-evacuate, what we are seeking is for people to assess the situation in their own homes," she said. "Those suburbs include Oonoonba, Idalia, Rosslea, Railway Estate, South Townsville, Cluden, Townsville City and parts of Hyde Park and Hermit Park. "This is in anticipation of increased levels in Ross River as a result of water probably coming out through the spillway at the Ross River Dam." North Queensland has copped four days of heavy rain and the Ross River Dam has hit 212 per cent capacity. The dam reached 200.6 per cent at 9:00am on Saturday and by 1:00pm had risen to 212 per cent — tripling the volume of water in the catchment since January 27. Cr Hill stressed there was no risk to the integrity of the dam, saying it still had plenty of flood mitigation capacity left. "At the moment, what we're trying to do is manage the inflows and the outflows so that we minimise the impact downstream," she said. The dam spillway gate opening was increased about 5pm on Saturday to allow 1,000 cubic metres of water to be released per second. Improvements to the dam wall, which increased its capacity, were completed in 2007. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) described the situation as "severe and historic", with Townsville Airport recording 861 millimetres of rain for the seven days to 9:00am on Saturday. The monsoonal rain has already caused extensive flash flooding in Townsville, Bluewater and Giru. The Army is on hand to help with sandbagging in the city's south with homes under water and streets resembling canals. More than a metre of water flooded Chris Brookehouse's home at Rosslea. He said he was staying at his property but would leave if levels climbed higher. "If it does get higher, we'll go — I've never seen anything like this," he said. "The volume of water is just incredible. Downstairs is gone, the fridge and freezer are floating. Another five or six steps and upstairs is gone too." Townsville resident Ashleigh was going to the gym when she saw several people displaced from the rain and opened her home to them. "I thought I'd go to a workout and then I then I saw these guys on the side of the road — you can't not help them," she said. Monsoon low over Mt Isa, Gulf of Carpentaria BOM Queensland manager Bruce Gunn said the slow-moving monsoonal trough would remain over northern Queensland for the next 48 hours. "The risk is high for the next couple of days. Expect the peak in the rainfall to recur tonight [Saturday] and continue into next week," he said. "We're expecting possible falls in the 150 to 200 millimetres and some isolated areas could get 300 millimetres in a six-hour period, so we can expect some parts of the coast to get several hundred millimetres in a day. "The monsoon low is now sitting between Mount Isa and the Gulf of Carpentaria Coast and that extends a trough across the Cape York Peninsula and bringing that moist onshore flow to the Coral Sea coast."