Flash flooding possible for Tiaro, Glenwood after severe Wide Bay floods

Communities still reeling from a flooding emergency have been warned a second round of heavy rain is forecast for rural communities between Fraser Coast and Gympie.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned Tiaro and Glenwood residents may experience a second round of flooding this weekend, after a meeting with the Fraser Coast Disaster Management Team.

It comes as the recovery effort in Maryborough after the 2022 floods is expected to continue for several weeks.

BOM Scientist and Hazard Response Coordinator Brooke Pagel said isolated showers were expected over inland areas such as Tiaro and Glenwood over the weekend, and thunderstorms were a possibility on Sunday and Monday.

A house is seen surrounded by flood waters from the Mary River in the town of Tiaro, on Sunday, January 9, 2022. The town, between Gympie and Maryborough, is still recovering from the unprecedented floods. (AAP Image/Darren England).

She said while the weather would not be comparable to the downpour from ex tropical cyclone Seth, the rain could lead to flash flooding.

“The river flood risk is very low, so given the saturated soils from all the rain that we’ve had, any forecasted thunderstorms could lead to very localised flash flooding,” she said.

“We will release any warnings with that one as soon as we can, if we see any heavy rainfall or anything like that.”

She recommended residents watch the BOM website over the next few days as a precaution.

Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour said his advice to residents was to be prepared for the weekend with sandbags at the ready and recommended everyone to sign up to the Fraser Coast Council disaster dashboard.

Maryborough Mayor George Seymour talks to the press in Maryborough regarding the ongoing flood recovery. Picture Lachie Millard

Mr Seymour said the recovery effort was expected to continue for weeks, with emergency services and members of the community continuing to help those affected.

“There’s been more and more ergon energy workers going out and getting people power back, there’s been people going to the affected businesses and helping them into the different levels of assistance from the state and federal governments, there’s been SES and rural fire brigade volunteers going door to door to the houses that have been inundated to help with clearing out of destroyed goods and hosing out the mud,” he said.

Maryborough mayor George Seymour said SES volunteers have continued to help residents affected by the floods by helping clear destroyed and damaged goods. Photo: Queensland Fire and Emergency

Debris from the Mary River has also made its way into Hervey Bay and Mr Seymour said residents should steer clear of the beaches while council works to remove dangerous debris.

132 500 is the number to call if you need the assistance of the State Emergency Service (SES) in non-life-threatening emergency situations, during floods and storms or other similar events. If the situation is life threatening, always call triple-0 (000).