Queensland kayaker dead as floods shut schools

One man is dead and a woman is missing as rainfall in Queensland carries away cars, floods suburban streets and forces school closures.

One man is dead and a woman is missing as rainfall in Queensland carries away cars, floods suburban streets and forces school closures.

A 75-year-old kayaker was found dead in the swollen Mary River in the Sunshine Coast hinterland amid heavy rains across the state.

Meanwhile, the search for a woman who disappeared in the Gold Coast hinterland has resumed after being suspended due to rain.

Yang Chen, 26, went missing near Gorge Falls on Wednesday.

Yang Chen, 26, was reported missing on Wednesday morning by a man she was walking with near Gorge Falls in the Tallebudgera Valley.

He told police he lost sight of her and it’s not clear if she became lost, fell, or walked out of bushland to nearby roads.

Lifeguards across the south-east #Queensland have been kept busy today due to the dangerous conditions caused by #CycloneUesi.

SLSQ is urging only experienced boardriders to be entering the water with over 50 surfers requiring assistance at #Noosa today. pic.twitter.com/gop93RvyiN

— Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) (@lifesavingqld) February 13, 2020

On the Gold Coast, 177.8mm was recorded in the 24 hours before 9am on Thursday, with 46.8mm in Brisbane and 200.8mm at Nambour, on the Sunshine Coast.

More than a dozen rescues were carried out in the 24 hours to 4am on Thursday, most of them on the Sunshine Coast.

That's a lot of water! 💦 These shots were taken by Kevin Litchfield at Curtis Road and Curtis Falls, Mount...

Posted by ABC Brisbane on Wednesday, 12 February 2020

Footage posted online shows ferocious rapids running down the road at Tamborine Mountain, with a wall of water inundating shops.

At Helensvale, a fire truck became caught in floodwater after a road partially collapsed.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services confirmed to the Gold Coast Bulletin they attempted to turn around but the shoulder of Siganto Dr collapsed, tipping the truck.

Oh no... even the experts get it wrong sometimes. @QldFES proving why .. if it’s flooded, forget it. pic.twitter.com/ckQDMDgECD

— Bianca Stone (@Bianca_Stone) February 13, 2020

A Mt Coolum nursing home was evacuated, and a mother had to rescue her son on the Gold Coast after he was swept from a footpath into a river.

Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast beaches, and theme parks have been closed. Eighteen schools are also shut, along with 15 childcare centres.

About 1440 customers were hit by power outages in Brisbane city, Energex reported on Thursday afternoon.

Widespread heavy falls across the state’s southeast corner will begin to drop off on Friday, particularly on the Gold Coast, forecasters predict.

Floodwaters will take some time to drain away however falls are expected to top 5-15mm over the weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

A major flood warning in place for the Logan River at Beaudesert, along with a mild warning for the Albert River on Thursday will continue into Friday. In the state’s far north, severe to extreme heatwave conditions are playing out almost everywhere north of Longreach, apart from the northern peninsular area. Those more extreme conditions are being felt between Cairns and Townsville, and northwest of Mt Isa. Temperatures are expected to reach 44C in Mt Isa at the weekend.

Showers and thunderstorms are forecast across the far north and Cape York from early next week, with showers returning to much of the state from Sunday. Hazardous swell that has lured some of Australia’s top surfers to the Gold Coast will continue into Friday but east over the weekend as ex-Tropical Cyclone Uesi tracks due east of the Queensland-NSW border.

Large swells from ex-Tropical Cyclone Uesi are expected to pummel beaches south of Fraser Island.

Originally published as Queensland kayaker dead as floods shut schools