Record-breaking floods cut off groceries to struggling Queensland town

Shocking pictures have emerged showing how communities in Queensland’s far north are struggling after being cut off from basic supplies.

Shocking pictures have emerged showing the grim situation residents in small towns in Far North Queensland are facing due to floodwaters.

The images shared to Facebook on Tuesday show the baron shelves at supermarkets in Mount Isa, with fridges completely cleared of fresh produce as suppliers grapple to reach the region amid road closures.

Queensland’s north-west was hit with widespread flooding late last week which was triggered by a tropical low.

Heavy rain saw rivers surge to record levels and flooded roads across the region, meaning suppliers struggled to get to supermarkets.

Stock shortages at Woolworths in Mt Isa. Picture: Facebook, Kayla-May Nielsen.

Many were stunned by the images, with one person claiming it proves “towns cannot survive more than a week” without trucks.

“Wow that’s crazy, looks like you’ve gone back to Covid lockdowns with bare shelves,” one person said.

One person wrote that her daughter would not have any sandwiches for her school lunch as there was “no bread left anywhere in town”.

Community members said on social media that there was ‘no bread left anywhere in town’. Picture: Facebook, Kayla-May Nielsen.

Social media users likened the scenes to panic buying that occurred during Covid lockdowns. Picture: Facebook, Kayla-May Nielsen.

A Coles spokesperson told NCA NewsWire that some supplies had been delivered to the struggling town after trucks were able to get back on the roads yesterday afternoon.

“The water had subsided enough to let us get trucks through and we had a big load of groceries arrive at the store yesterday evening,” the spokesperson said.

Coles said ‘a big load of groceries’ was delivered on Tuesday evening after some roads reopened. Picture: Facebook, Kayla-May Nielsen.

The Albert River surpassed its existing record flood level on Sunday. Picture: Facebook, Kayla-May Nielsen.

Woolworths told NCA NewsWire that multiple deliveries were made to the Mount Isa store on Tuesday.

“Our Mt Isa store has received several deliveries in the last 24 hours, including a range of meat, poultry, dairy, fruit and vegetables,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.

“The Mt Isa store team has worked through the night to get stock back on shelves for customers (on Wednesday).

“The store will continue to receive further deliveries throughout the week, returning to regular delivery schedules by the weekend.”

This aerial vision over Burketown puts into perspective the unprecedented flooding situation in North West Queensland.

Persistently high flood levels mean the area is still unsafe, and movement around the community should be limited to essential matters only. pic.twitter.com/rnizPXL1Wm

— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) March 12, 2023

Queensland Police reminded displaced residents on Wednesday that it was unsafe to return to their homes and to limit movement in flood waters due to unseen hazards and recent crocodile sightings.

Mount Isa District Disaster Coordination Centre (DDCC) senior sergeant Adrian Rieck said planning was underway to safely return residents to their homes in the coming days.

“The Local Disaster Management Group and emergency services are working together to ensure this can be done safely and community members can be appropriately supported,” he said.

“This includes personnel from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) completing Rapid Damage Assessments (RDAs) to ensure the area and infrastructure is safe, as flood waters recede.

“The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) is also preparing to deploy to Burketown, to provide social support to our affected communities.”

Queensland Police have urged residents to remain up to date with warnings. Picture: Queensland Police.

There were 77 road alerts in the region as of Wednesday morning. Picture: Qld Traffic.

Mount Isa DDCC aircraft remain stationed nearby 24/7 for medical emergencies and the transport of supplies.

A road near McKinlay opened briefly on Monday night allowing a semi-trailer carrying groceries to be delivered to the Coles at Mount Isa, before shortly closing again.

Stock remains on standby ready to be sent to the town once roads reopen.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said yesterday that the Albert River near Burketown “is expected to have peaked above the 2011 record flood level of 6.78 metres on Sunday” – a new record.

“The river level along the Albert River at Burketown Airstrip is expected to continue easing slowly over the next few days, but is likely to remain above the major flood level (6.00m) during Tuesday and Wednesday, possibly longer,” a spokesperson said.

“The river level is expected to remain elevated through to at least the end of the week.”