Emergency alert declared for South Burnett as Twin Gums Caravan Park evacuated

A couple who were among 11 people rescued from a flooding South Burnett caravan park have recounted their frightening experience, with authorities warning residents to stay safe despite conditions easing. FULL STORY:

A couple who were among nearly a dozen people evacuated from a South Burnett caravan park rapidly being swallowed by rising floodwaters say they fear the weather event has claimed the vehicle they have called their home for years.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said the pair were woken by their fridge beeping after the electricity went out at Twin Gums Caravan Park in the early hours of Friday morning.

“My husband got up and the water was lapping at the bottom of our door,” she said.

“The steps to get out of the caravan were covered in water and it was dark and we couldn’t see anyone around.”

Rescue crews were then called to the Scott St caravan park just before 7am, where a swiftwater team rescued the couple and another nine people from several caravans being inundated by rising floodwaters.

The woman said they stayed put inside their caravan until the bright torches of SES personnel indicated help had arrived.

“That’s when we knew there was a serious problem, but we started to feel better because there was someone around to tell us what was going on and what to do,” she said.

“Basically we packed some stuff into a bag, not knowing whether we’d be gone for an hour, all day or all night.

“They came and got us out and helped us walk through the water, which was freezing, and walked us across to the service station.”

The woman said she and her husband had been travelling around Australia for four years and considered the caravan their home, so were extremely concerned about any flood damage.

South Burnett Regional Council has established an evacuation centre at the Nanango Cultural Centre on Drayton Street, howqever this has since closed.

An emergency alert was issued for the South Burnett at about 7am Friday after a huge overnight deluge causes flash flooding across the region, with the extreme weather resulting in the death of a man who disappeared in raging waters near Sandy Creek bridge in Nanango.

BOM meteorologist Kimba Wong said the worst of the rain was now over, with it unlikely that any more significant falls would occur across the region.

“Still cloudy conditions, but the rainfall has generally contracted to the coastal fringe,” Ms Wong said.

Strong winds will stick around overnight though and continue through the morning, with clouds to begin clearing ahead of a sunny end to the weekend on Sunday.

A South Burnett Local Disaster Management Group spokesman said rainfall totals between 50mm and 110mm have been reported in and around Nanango, Kingaroy, and North West through to Proston.

“Due to the current rainfall that has been received in the South Burnett we will continue to see further roads flooded over the next 24/48 hours as the water comes down through the catchment,” he said.

The spokesman said council crews will continue to work over the weekend to ensure roads are closed and monitored as water continues to run downstream.

Rescue crews discovered a Nanango man’s body after reports of a car being swept into floodwaters at about 5.30am on Brown St, just down the road from Twin Gums Caravan Park.

The man’s vehicle was just one of eight swept into floodwaters across the South Burnett, with fire and rescue crews also called out to Kingaroy, Nanango, Inverlaw, Taabinga, and Brooklands overnight.

Mayor Brett Otto said 11 people have been rescued so far and had feared that number could have increased throughout the day.

“Nanango is where we’re seeing most of the residential inundation, but outside of that our concerns are mostly the rising rivers and creeks which are giving rise to flash flooding right across out road network,” Mr Otto said

He said most of the flooding was at that stage situated around Stuart River and along Barambah Creek.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Brook Pagel said Nanango received a huge 79mm in just a matter of hours overnight, with Kingaroy recording another 78mm and Brooklands a hefty 52mm.

Ms Pagel said forecasts had predicted heavy rain in parts of the state’s southeast from Thursday night into Friday, with the South Burnett bearing the brunt of the massive weather system.

“The east coast lows work dynamically so it’s difficult to predict exactly where the heaviest rain will fall,” she said.