Western Downs floods: Clean-up starts in Jandowae, Dalby as 29 people rescued from homes, cars in Warra

Nearly 30 people in a western Queensland town had to be rescued overnight, as the flood clean-up starts across the southern parts of the state.

Nearly 30 people had to be rescued from houses and cars in a small Western Downs town overnight, as the clean-up starts following a flood event the mayor said was comparable to the 2010-11 disasters in some areas.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services swift water crew assisted with the evacuation of seven homes in Warra on Tuesday evening.

A QFES spokeswoman said 27 people were trapped in their homes as flood water moved through the Western Downs town.

With the assistance of the QFES water craft, the seven families were moved to dry ground before travelling by road to Dalby, where they were provided with accommodation.

Tash Palfrey captured this photo of the main street in Warra, in the Western Downs.

A further two people were rescued from their vehicle after it was stuck in flood water.

No one was injured.

Western Downs mayor Paul McVeigh said he praised emergency services for their efforts to rescue residents in Warra.

“Everyone has had their role and knew their role, the teamwork that happened yesterday was phenomenal,” he said.

“We haven’t got a handle because the situation there but we’re going to assess the impacts there and we’ll know more a little bit later.

“The household impact could be significant so we’ll find out and what support we’ll need, both local and from governments.

“What’s happened (in Warra) is comparable to 2010-11.”

Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr McVeigh said the Warrego Highway remained closed at Warra while Transport and Main Roads inspected the bridge to ensure it was safe.

“It’s a bit frustrating, there’s no water on the bridge but they’re just making sure it’s safe,” he said.

Hundreds of frustrated drivers endured a night of damp, restless sleep inside their vehicles after they were struck in traffic on either side of the swollen Cooranga Creek.

Flood water rose through much of Tuesday cutting the bridge over the creek by late afternoon.

iTowing owner Pip Galvin said she was heading back to Toowoomba and was stuck on the western side for about 15 hours, along with dozens of truck drivers who took to the UHF radios to vent their frustration.

“It was not the Department of Main Road and Transports fault, it was Mother Nature’s but I will say this, the department website would not update itself,” she said.

“If it wasn’t for the truckies and their UHfs, we would not have known what was going on.

“By the time we crossed the creek the TMR website was still saying the road was closed.”

Ms Galvin and her husband spent the night trying in vain to catch a few hours’ sleep in their tray back, having made a dash out west to help a customer.

“We did have a discussion about the weather before we left and we thought we would have been okay,” she said.

“You can’t predict it perfectly, pressure systems are going to drop and fronts can move clouds away.

“But the farmers that you could hear over the UHF were better at predicting the weather than the Bureau of Meteorology.”

Clean-up begins in Jandowae

Overhead footage captured by Simon Jenkins of Jandowae in the Western Downs, where clean-up has begun.

Crews and volunteer groups have descended on Jandowae to continue the clean-up, after the town was completely cut off on Tuesday.

Professional pilot at Little Heli Services Jandowae Simon Jenkins captured incredible footage of the devastation caused by the flooding on Tuesday using one of his choppers.

Mr Jenkins said he’d never seen the town like this, noting the nearby weir had been empty just a few days prior.

“All the rivers and creeks are still full but they’ve started to recede — she’s left a bit of a mess,” he said.

“I have only lived here a few years but from what I’ve been told, it’s a lot lower than those really nasty ones (in 2010).

“I flew over that dam the previous day and it was just a puddle — six hours later it’s washing over the spillway.

“It was a shock to see a town underwater like that.”

Mayor Paul McVeigh said residents would be able to start taking debris to the Jandowae landfill at some point on Wednesday.

“Clean-up has started, we’ve got teams co-ordinating there — we still have a little issue with the Jandowae landfill but we have alternative options,” Mr McVeigh said.

“We’ve got volunteers from Toowoomba, council and emergency crews — they’re organisations that operate both inside and outside our community.”

Council work crews are in the process of cleaning debris and silt from the road network, with residents leaving any flood damaged goods or debris on the kerbside for collection.

The Jandowae school has also reopened.

The council said the watch and act warning issued for Dalby had been cancelled, but residents had to remain vigilant and keep informed.

Both the Patrick Street bridge and Dalby Aquatic Centre remain closed due to flooding.

The Myall Creek peaked at a height of 2.5 metres over night and has held relatively steady.

In Flinton, River level rises are occurring upstream and renewed rises are likely as peaks make their way down.

Residents have been urged to follow signage and directions, stay out of floodwaters and follow updates on the council’s website.

If you have experienced any impacts to livestock, please contact the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on 13 25 23