Darling Downs SES volunteers sent north to help with flood clean up

More than a dozen staff and volunteers from Toowoomba, Stanthorpe, Warwick and Yarraman have put their hand up to help residents inundated with the floods.

More than 60 SES staff and volunteers from South East Queensland have been sent north to help with the flood clean up.

State Emergency Service staff and volunteers from Toowoomba, Stanthorpe, Warwick and Yarraman will head to North Queensland this week to help with the flood clean up

Two staff members are already on the ground, with 14 volunteers to be deployed on Thursday.

Already 60 SES personnel from South-East Queensland have left Brisbane to support flood relief efforts in North Queensland.

They will fulfil a variety of roles, from general calls for service to flood boat operations and rescues.

Heavy rainfall in North Queensland has washed away sections of the Bruce Highway and isolated Ingham.

Floodwater has also impacted the town’s substation leaving about 7000 residents without electricity.

More than 1200mm of rain has fallen around Townsville since Friday and while the flood water is starting to recede, the costly and tiring clean up process has only started.

Speaking on Tuesday, Premier David Crisafulli has been touring the region and the State Government would support the affected communities for the “long haul”.

“I’m here on the ground because I have to make sure what we say needs to be delivered is delivered because you’re going to have communities that are really going to be tested,” he said.

“They’re resilient communities, but resilience doesn’t mean you just leave them on their own devices. They’re going to need a lot of help in the days, weeks, months and even years ahead.”

Originally published as Darling Downs SES volunteers sent north to help with flood clean up