Inside the flood zone: Residents stranded as waters rise

With fears up to 2000 properties may have been inundated, Townsville residents have spoken of their uncertainty as more heavy rain is forecast.

WITH heavy rains expected to continue, stranded Townsville residents face an uncertain few days.

More rescues were being conducted today amid fresh calls for help after the city was further inundated overnight when the gates of the Ross River Dam flew open.

Along with the wall of water from the dam, residents have faced a deluge of water, with more than 400mm of rain dumped in a day and more heavy falls expected today.

IN PICTURES: Townsville flood crisis

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With fears up to 2000 properties may have been inundated, residents have spoken of their uncertainty within the flood zone.

‘NOT LIKE ANYTHING I’VE SEEN’

Jodie Marquardt with her cat Willy.

Jodie Marquardt broke down in tears when talking about the toll the harrowing ordeal of fleeing her home has taken.

“It’s not like anything I’ve seen,” she said

“We had water come into the home, it was slow moving and not flowing fast enough to be dangerous, but it wrecked all our furniture.”

The Fairfield Waters resident had to abandon her flooded home with her husband, son and cat Willy.

“We decided that it might be a smart move to cut and run to mum and dad’s place.”

She said locals in a tinny came to their rescue.

“We got out with a change of clothes and our cat Willy.

“Poor kitty cat is a bit traumatised by the boat ride.

“It is what it is at the end of day, we’re are a bit devastated but all good.

“Lots of other people are dealing with far worse.”

‘MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS GETTING EATEN’

Andrew Roberts is more worried about being eaten by a crocodile in his Townsville home than chest-high water surging through the ground floor.

He creeps down stairs and scans the murky water for crocs before he leaps on a table to refuel the generator powering his home.

But he and his wife Cass are staying put.

“My biggest concern is getting eaten,” Mr Roberts said.

“It’s a little bit scary because when it floods in Townsville, the crocs get into the water.”

Mr Roberts spoke of his anger after the dam gates flew open after the Ross River Dam reached almost 250 per cent capacity.

Mr Roberts insists the water won’t reach their second story and they will not leave their home of 14 years as they have food, water and a radio. “It has been a hair-raising experience but … I would rather be sitting here than in a shelter for the next week not knowing what the hell is going on with what we have here.”

ARMY MAJOR BREAKS DOWN

Army Major Beau Hodge began to get emotional as he spoke today about having to rescue his family from the Townsville suburb of Idalia overnight while also helping the rest of the community.

He said his house was “gone”.

“It was very wet, I’m lucky my family are safe and well,” he said.

“We’ll be right.”

Megan Simmonds evacuates from her Rosslea home before helping others. Picture: Michael Chambers

NEIGHBOURS DIG IN TO HELP OUT

In hard-hit Rosslea, Megan Simmonds, 26, has been helping neighbours carry out their belongings from devastated homes where many are already under 2m of water.

She said they all now face the “great uncertainty of what is to come”.

Flood evacuee Jade Bretzke, whose Hermit Park home is under water, also spoke of uncertainty, saying the forecasts and warnings were “ominous” and “phenomenal”.

Leslie Noble carries his aunty Clara Fullerton across floodwaters on the corner of Norris Street and Queens Road. Picture: Zak Simmonds

DESPERATE DAD STRANDED AS SON IN HOSPITAL

Charters Towers resident Anthony Lloyd had to race to Townsville last Thursday after his son was seriously injured in a motorbike accident.

He said he was lucky to make it with roads closing behind him.

However Mr Lloyd is now confined to the Cluden Park Motor Inn and can’t make it to the Townsville Hospital because of floodwaters.

“He’s not good,” the father said of his injured 23-year-old son.

“They have to work on his head.”

Mr Lloyd said it was a horribly stressful time as the family does not know when the operation will be taking place.

“I can’t get to see him.”

A resident pushes a bicycle through floodwaters in Hermit Park, Townsville, Sunday, February 3, 2019. Picture: AAP/Andrew Rankin

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

• Between 400 and 500 homes inundated in Townsville

• Fears up to 2000 may have been affected by water in some way

• Almost 1000 people in Townsville evacuation centres

• Choppers and boats being used to get more people out of their homes

• More than 1,000 calls for help to the SES and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services in the 24 hours to 10am, most in Townsville

• 21 suburbs warned of flooding amid unprecedented water releases from the Ross River Dam • Almost 2000 cubic metres per second is charging out of the dam into the Ross River, which snakes through Townsville

• Dam expected to peak at 11am on Monday and remain at that level until at least midnight

• The monsoon trough dumping the rain could become a cyclone if it moves offshore

• Communities from Ingham south to Mackay and west to Mt Isa are under a severe weather warning

• Intense rain with significant flash flooding forecast for communities from Ingham to Bowen and possibly as far south as Mackay

• Flash flooding also possible in Queensland’s northwestern interior, possibly as far west as Mt Isa

• Warnings remain for damaging winds, including the possibility of tornadoes, in coastal areas

• Damaging winds and abnormally high tides forecast for parts of the Peninsula and Gulf Country districts

• The monsoon trough could become a cyclone if it moves offshore