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Fears of a catastrophic flood disaster in Townsville as more record downpours on the way

A catastrophic emergency is unfolding in the northeastern Queensland coastal city of Townsville as residents brace for a weekend of record rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned Saturday could be the worst day of the monsoonal deluge, issuing a severe weather warning for extremely heavy rainfall and flash flooding to drench the already soaked Townsville region.

Forecaster Micheal Grey warned Saturday could be the “most significant” day of the monsoon event.

“Today is looking particularly important. We’re looking at significant rainfall,” he said, with up to 500mm already in the past 24 hours.

Disaster-declared Townsville is at the epicentre of the one-in-100 year event where dozens of homes have been swamped, schools and businesses shut and thousands of residents evacuated to higher ground.

The record rain and trough have forced the Ross River Dam levels to rise to historic levels, forcing the Townsville Council to order all three dam spillway gates opened, with a record amount of water is spilling into the sea.

The council announced on Saturday morning that “there will be no further increases in the Ross River Dam spillway gates opening until after the high tide scheduled for 8.24am (Saturday local time)”.

Mayor Jenny Hill said a team of experts were monitoring the high tide, rainfall predictions and outflows from the dam.

Water releases will exceed what’s usually allowed under Townsville’s emergency action plan, but Councillor Hill said authorities had no choice with more days of torrential rain ahead.

“What we’re trying to do is to get ahead of the system, so we reduce the risk of any further flooding in the city – but that’s not guaranteed,” she said.

Meanwhile, the army has been brought in to assist residents fill sandbags to protect their homes while the Queensland Fire and Emergency service is helping residents trapped by floodwaters to safety as water levels continue to rise throughout Saturday.

Dozens of homes and businesses have been destroyed as flash floods washed through the streets of up to 12 suburban areas, sweeping away cars, equipment and livestock.
 A further 100 homes remain at risk as the dam continues to rise.

townsvill-floords

Vulnerable homes are being sandbagged but many have left to take shelter as the disaster unfolds. Photo: AAP

Landslips like a ‘jet roaring’

Landslips have destabilised an apartment complex, blocked roads and caused homes to be evacuated.

Wulguru local Kerry Guinea was tucked up in bed when a massive roar heralded a landslip that inundated his Townsville yard with tonnes of mud and rock.

“It sounded like a jet roaring,” he told AAP.

“I went out in the dark and there was mud everywhere, there’d be hundreds of tonnes, it’s huge.”

“Bits of trees, log and goodness knows what have washed down.”

“Our house is fine but it’s come through the bottom of the neighbour’s place and the houses next to that have rock and trees all around them.”

Bluewater Community Centre relief coordinator Darla Astill said about 100 flood-affected families dropped in on Friday and some have lost pretty much everything.

“People have had to just sit and watch cars, tractors, containers, ride-ons and all sorts of stuff just floating in the creek,” she told AAP.

“There’s not much you can do, it’s still raining, we’ve got more rain predicted so we’re just sandbagging here at the moment if it does rain again.”

“There’s been a couple of dogs floating by, people tried to rescue them, there was also a cow that got pulled out and survived but one the dogs they couldn’t get to.”

Further north, coastal communities on the Gulf of Carpentaria have been told to prepare for the highest tides of year as the monsoon trough whips up gale force winds.

Flood Warnings are current for the following catchments: Mulgrave, Russell, Tully, Murray, Herbert, Ross, Bohle, Haughton, Burdekin, Don, Isaac, Leichhardt, Nicholson, Gregory, Flinders, Cloncurry and Diamantina Rivers.

-with AAP

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