Flash-flooding, landslides, roads closed: 350mm clean-up could take months
Queensland communities are facing a mammoth clean-up after downpours of up to 350mm – caused by conditions worse than those in the infamous 2011 and 2022 floods – inundated homes.
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Queensland communities are on the brink and facing a mammoth clean-up after torrential downpours of up to 350mm inundated homes and forced residents to swim for their lives.
Areas just outside Brisbane were the hardest hit with 350mm recorded in Samford and more than 200mm at Caboolture, Bray Park, Warner, Highvale, Eatons Hill and Clear Mountain.
From Laidley, north to the Sunshine Coast, multiple communities were hit by the huge deluge, leading to multiple school and road closures across the state.
Overnight falls of more than 160mm in isolated areas on the Sunshine Coast overnight into Wednesday added to the nerves for homeowners.
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed falls of more than 150mm on the Sunshine Coast – causing roads to be cut and flights to be cancelled and diverted – but that the system that delivered the intense rain had moved away.
“Yesterday and overnight, the heaviest falls in southeast Queensland were roughly around just north of the Sunshine Coast area where we saw falls during that 100 to 150mm,” Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said on Wednesday.
“The highest falls have been 163mm at one of our gauges at Bell’s Creek on the Maroochy River but further out, some of the heaviest falls further north with those storms last night inland of Mackay and Bowen was around 150 to 100mm.
“Mackay had 82 and some of our gauges on the Proserpine River had 134mm, and finally further west with that heavy rainfall … we saw a number of areas south of Cloncurry getting at least 50 to 100mm.”
At 9pm, an emergency alert was issued for Dalby by the Western Downs Council, with fears Myall Creek would flood.
Residents in low-lying areas were encouraged to enact their emergency plan, and secure and lift belongings.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service carried out evacuations in Dalby and Warra, with 27 people rescued, following the 9pm alert.
Dozens of homes in Bray Park flooded on Tuesday, with residents scrambling to escape – some by swimming.
On Tuesday, as flood waters rose Catherine Crabb swam from her Bray Park home with her son and dogs after the waters inundated her house about 3am.
“I positioned myself on a fence line, I got up to the street sign and I kid you not, I was hanging onto it and there was a small amount of pole left,” she said.
Dillon Hunter, of Bray Park, said he woke up terrified because the water engulfing his bed.
“I woke up in the water, it was about 4am this morning. The water was about waist deep. It got towards the top of the bed,” he said.
Eight of 13 swiftwater rescues were in the Moreton Bay region, with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services also called to homes in Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs regions.
Ten people were rescued from homes and cars as the Bureau of Meteorology warned of locally intense rainfall that could lead to life-threatening flash flooding, with more severe weather a possibility.
Senior meteorologist Laura Boekel warned on Tuesday afternoon the locations on high alert for intense rainfall included Maroochydore, Gympie, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Caboolture and Redcliffe.
After the intense rainfall on Tuesday residents in Morayfield – where the local shopping centre was inundated with water – and Caboolture were warned to prepare to evacuate after the Caboolture River at Caboolture water treatment plant was at 9.6m at 1pm.
Caboolture residents Katrina and Michael Bender’s granny flat and backyard were completely underwater by midday and both feared waters would rise.
They said the double storey house which backs on to the Caboolture River has now been hit three times in the past 13 years with a “once in a one hundred year” flood event.
“In 2022 the house was completely underwater, our granny flat had to be completely redone and the whole under part of the house was riddled with mould,” Mrs Bender said.
“I’m a bit concerned as last year – the first day of the 2022 floods the water wasn’t nearly as this high – but by the second day everything was underwater.
“I’m quite worried we could be hit with that but worse.”
Later on Tuesday residents in parts of Beachmere were told to leave their homes immediately as flood waters rose.
Swiftwater rescue crews rushed to the small town on Tuesday afternoon after a person was trapped in their car in floodwaters.
Crews travelled through a kilometre of water to help the person who safely made it out of their car.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines warned that, while the worst of the rain had likely passed, falls of up to 200mm were still possible.
“We could see quite a lot more rainfall, another 50 to 100mm, the chance of some more thunderstorms bringing local pockets again 100 to 200 millimetres of rain,” he said.
“It’s been a very wet night for some places and it’s still a wet day here for others.”
Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said flooding impacts in his electorate would continue for weeks and months as flooding had caused flash flooding, road closures, livestock issues and landslides.
He said the northern parts of City of Moreton Bay, especially the Upper Caboolture River, remained a concern.
“Once the wet weather response is under control we will focus fully on the recovery phase, but our Moreton Recovery Group has already moved to start preparatory actions to understand the situation now.”
Mr Flannery said disaster management teams and SES had been active since Monday night supporting impacted residents with over 84 requests for assistance received and 92 roads closed as at 1pm.
“It is currently too difficult to assess the impact on infrastructure in several areas including Samford due to road closures, but we are continuing to work to gain access and identify all impacts across our city,” he said.
Overall, QFES were called to about 30-water related incidents in the 24 hours to 3pm, however they were not all rescues.
Premier Steven Miles said the greatest concern was the Moreton Bay area.
“I’m most concerned about our SES volunteers and now emergency service workers.
“They are exhausted. They’ve been at this since the middle of December.
“We work very hard to make sure that they get rotated through that they get sufficient breaks that they manage their fatigue but some of them, some of them just keep on going because they want to be there supporting their fellow Queenslanders.”
Mr Miles said Queensland would ask for assistance from other states if needed.
Forest Hill, Thornton, Mount Alford, Grandchester, Ashwell, Aratula, Blenheim state schools and Centenary State High School were closed on Tuesday along with St Paul’s School at Bald Hills and Grace Lutheran College at Rothwell.
More than 70 roads were closed or cut off across the state.
On Tuesday, the southern end of the Sunshine Coast copped with the worst of the rain, with flash flooding of the main road into Caloundra.
The Caloundra Cricket Club became a rushing river, with secretary Paul Sichter saying they had received more than 160mm since 6am on Tuesday.
In Maroochydore, a downpour caused the courthouse roof to start leaking in the middle of a district court trial on level three of the building.
At Buderim, the QFES and QPS responded to a vehicle in floodwater on Tuesday afternoon on the corner of Harry’s Lane and Lindsay Road.
In Nambour, a car park near Woolworths was flooded with one new van submerged.
Mr Narramore said while there were big storms around the Capricornia and central coast of Queensland overnight, it had all cleared by the morning.
The dissipation of the slow-moving storm will bring cooler conditions to South East Queensland, providing some relief from the humidity.
“We have south-easterly winds bringing cooler flooding and less humid conditions in much of southern and eastern Queensland for the next couple of days,” Mr Narramore said.
“While further north, the heat and humidity will continue through northern parts of Queensland with heatwave warnings on going down particularly along coastal parts but that’s certainly going to ease in the coming days with the focus of the heat shifting further to inland areas across southern inland Queensland.”
Northern and central Queensland may be in luck as the slow-moving storm will mainly bring “hit and miss showers” while western Queensland may need to brace for flooding he said.
“It will mostly be showers and thunderstorms rather than that widespread, heavy rainfall that we saw in southeast Queensland … but with those storms you could definitely see isolated, heavier falls.
“Further west our inland communities along the Gulf Coast, Gulf country and Northwest Queensland are likely to see the remnants of Kirrily hanging around for at least the next three or four days.
“So we’re likely to see flooding be of concern and continue to increase across Northwestern parts of Queensland in the coming days as the rainfall is expected to continue there into the weekend.”
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