Adavale evacuated as southeast Qld braces for more flooding

The small town of Adavale in western Queensland has been evacuated after it was surrounded by flood waters from a days-long widespread deluge that is slowly moving towards the state’s southeast.

Flooding in Quilpie. Picture: Lauren Gillian

The small town of Adavale in western Queensland has been evacuated after it was surrounded by flood waters from a days-long widespread deluge that is slowly moving towards the state’s southeast.

An emergency was declared in the town of less than two dozen people located north of Quilpie, more than 1000km west of Brisbane, on Thursday morning after homes were inundated by water.

Swift water rescue crews touched down in the area about lunchtime to assist police efforts and move the residents to a “place of refugee” at the Adavale Town Hall.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for parts of Channel Country and Maranoa and Warrego Districts, extending to the towns of Thargomindah and Cunnamulla. Isolated six-hour falls of 80mm were possible, after some areas received daily rainfall totals of more than 300mm over the past week.

The warnings followed the Quilpie mayor Ben Hall and graziers concern over the weather bureau’s failure to install a radar over the area, exposing residents to inconsistent and inaccurate forecasts.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the rain had caused “significant pains” for parts of the state, confirming he had already begun talks with federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins about short-, medium- and long-term supports for graziers.

“We are dealing with widespread community isolation,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“There is talk from those long-term locals that this event could exceed the big flood of 1974.”

Forecasters expect the slow-moving tropical trough to pick up speed as it moves east across the state before crossing the coast on Sunday.

Brisbane and Gold Coast councils have already reopened sandbagging stations less than a month after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred pummelled Queensland’s southeast and northern NSW.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Christie Johnson said the heaviest falls over the coast will be on Saturday, which will be a “saving grace“ for already saturated river and creek systems.

“The rivers are already very swollen from all the rainfall we’ve had in the last month or so with ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and other rainfall events,” Ms Johnson said.

“On top of that, the showers that we’ve had over the last couple of days, even though they haven’t been particularly heavy, they are pre-wetting the ground.

“The good news for South East Queensland is that the trough is moving a bit faster by the time it gets there …. that might mean that there’s perhaps going to be a little bit less of the sort of major flooding that we’re seeing inland.”

Widespread falls of 40mm to 80mm are expected across the southeast on Saturday, with some areas facing the potential of 100mm to 120mm of localised rain.

Seqwater confirmed on Thursday that low-volume gated water releases from the North Pine and Wivenhoe Dams could begin this weekend depending on rainfall.

A further 20 ungated dams throughout the southeast are still spilling after Cyclone Alfred’s flooding downpour.