A woman has tragically died, and thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as catastrophic flooding continues to ravage northern Queensland in Australia. Authorities have warned of a “dangerous and life-threatening” situation, with waters expected to rise further over the coming days.
Since Friday, parts of northeast Queensland have received more than 1,000mm (39 inches) of rain, with “record rainfalls” expected to persist into Monday. Queensland State Premier David Crisafulli said these floods could be the worst the region has experienced in over 60 years, with both the intensity and the duration of the rainfall surpassing anything seen “for a long time.”
The deadly incident occurred in the town of Ingham, where a woman died after the State Emergency Service (SES) dinghy she was aboard capsized after hitting a tree. The woman, who was being rescued at the time, was not an emergency worker. Five other people on board the dinghy were able to reach safety. An investigation is now underway.
In the town of Cardwell, located between Cairns and Townsville, three people had to be rescued from the roof of a submerged house. Meanwhile, a dramatic video captured a man clinging to a pole in Ingham after his vehicle was washed away, as locals in a boat helped pull him to safety.
In Townsville, the Local Disaster Management Group has warned that up to 1,700 homes may be inundated, with some homes facing floods as high as the second floor. On Sunday, thousands of residents in six Townsville suburbs were ordered to evacuate by midday, though only about 10% chose to stay behind. These areas had also been severely impacted during the floods of 2019.
Premier Crisafulli urged residents to follow evacuation orders, stressing, “In the end, houses and cars and furniture, that can all be replaced. Your family can’t.”
Andrew Cox, a resident who evacuated his home, explained that police had visited his partner’s home on Saturday evening to advise them of the risk, returning on Sunday to issue another warning. He said, “Some of the neighbours said they’d been here during floods in 2019 and that it would be fine, but we didn’t want to take a chance, so we packed up.”
New evacuation centers were opened as others reached capacity, and parts of the road between Townsville and Cairns were cut off, slowing down rescue efforts. Townsville Airport has been closed until Monday morning, while supermarkets have run out of fresh food, and many homes, including in Ingham and Palm Island, are without power.
As floodwaters continue to rise, residents have been warned to stay vigilant for crocodiles, which have been spotted in floodwaters far from their usual habitats.
Climate scientists have noted that rising ocean temperatures and a warming planet are contributing to more intense and frequent extreme rainfall events, making such disasters more likely in the future.
