Mount Spec Rd damaged again as Paluma residents isolated due to landslides

Isolated residents in Paluma have been dealt another blow, with fresh landslips cutting off their main access road just as it was on the verge of being cleared from last month’s floods.

A landslide at Paluma's Mount Spec Road, due to February's severe weather.

Isolated residents in Paluma have been dealt another blow, with fresh landslips cutting off their main access road just as it was on the verge of being cleared from last month’s floods.

The Townsville Local Disaster Management Group (TLDMG) confirmed a new landslip had hit Mount Spec Road to Paluma early Wednesday morning, undoing weeks of recovery work.

Adding to the chaos, another landslip was reported at Castle Hill, blocking parts of Stanley Street and damaging a home in the highly populated residential area.

TLDMG Chair Andrew Robinson said the latest Mount Spec Road slip was a major blow for residents who had already endured weeks of isolation.

“That road was almost cleared, there was only a couple of landslip areas that they were looking at and now they’ve incurred a couple of others,” he said.

“I do feel sorry for the people of Paluma in that they are still isolated in many ways.”

A landslide at Paluma's Mount Spec Road, due to February's severe weather.

Its comes as residents in Townsville caught off guard by flash flooding on Wednesday have questioned whether the TLDMG’s emergency alert system is up to scratch.

Cr Robinson defended the current system, saying warnings had been issued through the Townsville Emergency Dashboard and TLDMG Facebook page.

“There was some warnings that were issued through those methods,” he said.

However, when pressed on whether the system needed improvements, he remained tight-lipped.

“That would be an operational matter, so at this stage I couldn’t speculate as to what rectification we’re going to achieve,” he said.

Cr Robinson also acknowledged the harsh reality of North Queensland’s wild weather, urging residents to claim insurance for any damage to vehicles or homes.

“This is North Queensland weather. It’s something we experience from time to time. It is unfortunate,” he said.

Andrew Robinson, chair of local disaster Management group, speaks to the media at the press conference held at Townsville's local Disaster Management Centre on Friday February 7. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Locals impacted by the latest flash flooding are being encouraged to log an incident report with council, helping authorities map out flood-prone areas for future mitigation.

“There is always leanings, and we are learning from every single disaster that we have, and hopefully that will therefore give us better data going into the future,” Cr Robinson said.

Drainage issues are one area under scrutiny, but Cr Robinson noted that fixing them would come down to budget constraints.

“We’re always trying to improve our city, but it’s a balance between the budget and what we want. Drainage would certainly be one of those areas that we would look at.”

Meanwhile, Ross River Dam sat at 116 per cent capacity on Wednesday afternoon after receiving under 100mm of rain over 24 hours.

To ease pressure, the dam’s gates were opened on Wednesday to start slowly releasing water until it returns to 100 per cent capacity.

In a heartwarming show of community spirit in West End locals and police rushed to help a 76-year-old man who fell while walking through floodwaters just before 6am.

Acting Inspector Todd Noble said officers safely got him home, bandaged his knee, and stayed by his side until paramedics arrived.

He said police were also called to six separate incidents across Townsville the same morning where vehicles had driven into floodwaters and got stranded.

“A lot of those have been able to self-extricate themselves from their vehicles, there’s been a few who have required emergency services assistance,” he said.

“But thankfully there’s been no injuries or fatalities. In these low lying areas, with flash flooding it’s really prevalent to be very, very careful.”

Originally published as Mount Spec Rd damaged again as Paluma residents isolated due to landslides