‘Close to 2011 peak’: Flood warnings remain as mud army converges on disaster-struck town
The sun may be shining but authorities have warned the flood threat is not over yet. The latest weather advice comes as residents in Inglewood unite for a mammoth clean-up.
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The sun may be shining across most of Queensland today but the weather bureau is warning the flood threat is far from over.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Pieter Claassen said we’re not out of the woods yet, as floodwaters continue to flow downstream.
“There was a major flood warning for the Dawson River in Taroom yesterday and it was expected to peak overnight and this morning,” Mr Claassen said.
“Macintyre and Goondiwindi are expected to peak close to the 2011 flood peak at about 11m”.
BOM has issued major flood warnings for the following places: the Condamine River, Balonne River, Dawson River, Macintyre River, Dumaresq River and Warrego River.
Mr Claassen said Augathella should dip down from a major flood warning to moderate as the water flows downstream.
Leslie Dam, near Warwick, was overflowing on Friday morning, having reached 101.08 per cent capacity.
Mr Claasen said there was a chance more rain would fall this weekend, with thunderstorms possible on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re not expecting much rainfall today (Friday), there’s really sunny conditions with Brisbane topping at 30C,” he said.
“(But) The ground is saturated so flash flooding will occur if rain does happen (over the weekend).”
A big trough system is expected to move through Queensland by the middle of next week which could bring in more thunderstorms.
MUD ARMY CONVERGES FOR FLOOD-RAVAGED TOWN’S FIGHTBACK
The Queensland spirit was not dampened as life-endangering floods roared through parts of the state’s Southern Downs region this week, while residents from the tight-knit community came to the aid of their neighbours.
The mammoth clean-up for the small township of Inglewood was in full swing on Thursday after megalitres of water rinsed through town.
Authorities are yet to put a price tag on the damage.
Residents in Inglewood’s lowest-lying areas reported a mixture of devastation and relief, while Shane Hooper, who has lived in Inglewood for eight years, said his community had kept him going throughout the clean-up.
“Everybody’s helping everyone today, that’s why I love this town so much,” Mr Hooper said. “It’s excellent. I don’t know I would’ve been able to do it without them.”
Water climbed about 60cm up the walls of Mr Hooper’s house overnight on Tuesday. He and a team of others spent much of Thursday morning pulling up carpet and washing away mud.
Mr Hooper was one of hundreds evacuated to the local cemetery just before midnight on Tuesday.
“We all got rushed to the Inglewood Cemetery evacuation point,” Mr Hooper said.
“The only thing we could hear there was the river roaring 200m away.
“We didn’t know how high it’d be in the house, but when I got back – wow – relief. I was very much relieved.”
Shopkeepers swept water and mud from their shops, while volunteer tradies walked door to door offering help.
The local Caltex service station donated water to the SES, while strangers travelled to the town to help scrub muddied houses.
But flooding has not yet ceased for the region, with the Macintyre River in Goondiwindi set to peak at 10.7m on Friday night – levels similar to the region’s 2011 flood peak.
Goondiwindi Mayor Lawrence Springborg said authorities had a reasonable level of confidence the water would not reach the 11m levee, which borders the township.
“We would have to have a significant additional amount of water in the system for that to happen,” he said.
Comparing it to the 2011 floods, Mr Springborg said: “No two floods are the same.
“That's the nature of floods. But we can only go by what’s predicted by the (weather bureau) at the moment, and from that, we have a reasonable level of confidence, however we will be watching with a great degree of caution – and as you would expect, we have systems in place if we need to act.”
Major flood warnings along the Dumaresq River at Texas and the Macintyre River at Boggabilla and Goondiwindi remained in place Thursday, while a 12.8m flood peak is expected further along the river at Boggabilla on Friday night. The Dumaresq River at Texas was expected to remain above the major flood level of 8m on Friday. This week’s floods brought back memories of previous extreme weather events for some Inglewood residents, including when the Coolmunda Dam peaked at over 121 per cent in 1976. This time around, the dam fell shy of 111 per cent.
Anna Bartholomew said she remembered the 1976 floods well.
“At that time I hadn’t been through a flood and I must admit I doubted it,” she said.
“This time I thought: ‘Well no, there’s a flood coming, you get warned and you take it very seriously.
“The way the SES and police and Goondiwindi Regional Council handled everything after the evacuation was amazing …
“You look out and there’s companies paying men to help. The community spirit is still there. And we’ll get through.”
Sandy Hobbs, who has lived at her Inglewood home for 45 years, fought back tears when talking about her town.
“We have such a beautiful community, we are truly blessed,” she said. “The community spirit from our wonderful friends here to help us clean is overwhelming.”
Meanwhile, disaster payments have been made available to flood victims.
Communities impacted by recent flooding will be eligible for up to $900 per family through a recovery program jointly funded by the state and federal governments.
The Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements will provide grants of up to $180 per person and a maximum of $900 per family for those experiencing hardship and distress as a result of the floods.
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