Goomeri, Kilkivan, Woolooga flood for second time in 2022 | Video

Rural towns in the western Gympie region were gut with their second emergency flood event in six weeks on Friday. WATCH THE VIDEO:

Rural towns in the west Gympie region were hit with their second round of floods in six weeks on Friday.

Roads were destroyed and at lives were lost in the January 2022 rain event, which dumped up to 650mm of rain in the region.

Goomeri, Kilkivan and Woolooga copped the brunt of it.

This week, torrential downpours have again wreaked havoc, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain and triggering what is expected to be Gympie’s biggest flood in at least two decades.

But the flash flooding has been just as devastating, claiming lives in the Mary Valley and at Cedar Pocket.

To the west, the Burnett Highway was cut at Chippendale Creek, and towns including Goomeri left cut off.

But while residents prepare for round two of flooding, opinions differ on whether this time is worse than the last.

Goomeri resident Jennifer Jackson, whose street was destroyed by the January floods, said Goomeri had received just under 100mm of rain overnight, with another 200mm possibly on the way.

“We’ve been cut off from water … since around eight o’clock,” she said on Friday.

Goomeri State School and Goomeri Shell had closed due to flooding, and the service station had turned off its fuel pumps to avoid leaks, which happened during the January floods.

“Reminds me of 2011”: Jennifer Jackson saw her street collapse during the January floods less than two months ago, but she claims the flooding is worse this time around.

The Goomeri showgrounds had also been evacuated.

“I feel like this is going to be worse than the last one,” she said.

“It reminds me of 2011, to be honest.”

She said on top of the raging flood waters, she had found dangerous debris in gutters near her house, including what she described as dirty syringes.

But Deputy Gympie Mayor Hilary Smerdon, whose division covers Goomeri and who was stranded on Friday in his home town of Woolooga, begged to differ.

He said despite concerns from residents and the weather bureau, the flooding in the western Gympie region was less severe than January.

“It’s still bad enough as it is, but it shouldn’t be anywhere near the heights we had last time,” he said.

He said rural Gympie region residents knew what to expect from the weather, and were more prepared for the deluge than they were in January.

However, that did not mean everyone was safe from the floods, as Miss Jackson confirmed the Goomeri showgrounds were evacuated.

Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington posted images on Facebook of the Woolooga Trader flooding after overnight rain in January. Picture: Facebook

He said Woolooga had received 200mm of rain overnight, and as a result the Woolooga Trader, which was hard hit by the January floods, had moved important furniture and equipment to a nearby house on a hill.

“At least this time they’ve actually had some time to do some packing (before it flooded),” he joked.

He said he doubted the Woolooga Trader would flood.

As for anyone needing to evacuate, Mr Smerdon said the Kilkivan Hall would be available, and the Goomeri Hall of Memory would be free to anyone who needed refuge.