Hundreds of north Queensland properties inundated in deluge but Bureau of Meteorology says conditions in Townsville are easing

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Conditions are starting to ease across Townsville but the risk of dangerous flooding remains in some areas of North Queensland.

Transcript

00:00We're here at the Aplin Weir in Townsville on the Ross River.

00:06So the Ross River was the river that there was all the concern about this morning.

00:10It was going to peak and that's why there were all these suburbs downstream from here

00:15which have been evacuated or parts of those suburbs and that was thousands of people.

00:20The blessing over the last 24 hours is that there's been relatively little rain in Townsville

00:28and when I say relatively, it's still 50mm of rain but that meant that it was possible

00:35for the dam to release a lot of the capacity and it was at 176% capacity, it's down now

00:42to 166%.

00:44So they've been able to release all this water and the good news is that this is actually

00:50at moderate level now so authorities are really optimistic about what's going to happen with

00:57those suburbs downstream.

00:58We've heard so much about these black zones over the last several days, here's how the

01:04Premier described that when I spoke to him a short time ago.

01:07The weather last night was really kind for Townsville, incredibly so, so the rainfall

01:11predictions were well under what they could have been and as a result you've got a whole

01:15heap of people who may just have dodged a bullet.

01:18And so the Premier was also saying that he is optimistic that people in those evacuation

01:24zones may well be allowed to return home today because of these conditions.

01:29It's not assured and authorities are still saying that people need to keep out of those

01:32black zones but just that optimism about what's happening with those suburbs was joy to the

01:40ears of so many people who have evacuated and some of those who spent the last several

01:44days in evacuation centres.

01:46I spoke to Linda a little earlier to get her reaction on that news and she was happy but

01:54also a bit concerned about what the reaction would be like from her cats when she got home.

02:00I've been just so anxious, I had to leave my pets.

02:04I'd left enough water and kitten food but this entire time I've just got tears just

02:16waiting to happen.

02:17If I can go back I've got chills but I'm expecting cats going...

02:22I'm sure they'll wrap you in their arms with love.

02:27I'm sure they'll wrap me in their arms with claws demanding to know where on earth I've been.

02:36Well I hope Linda can get home and there must be so many other people in similar situations

02:40to her.

02:41And Jo, what's the situation in other parts of the region up there in North Queensland?

02:47The hardest hit areas are around Ingham and Cardwell and the many little communities around

02:54there as well.

02:55Speaking to the Premier this morning he said we haven't really heard how many homes and

03:01businesses they think water has gone through but the Premier this morning when I was talking

03:05to him says he thinks it's well over 100 and that's just in Ingham.

03:11And so we've heard of really challenging situations in Cardwell as well and other communities

03:17around there but here's what the Premier this morning had to say about that situation in

03:22Ingham.

03:23I've seen images of water in businesses that never in my wildest dreams thought I'd see

03:27water in shops there in the high part of town.

03:30I've spoken with friends who've had homes, businesses and their farm devastated.

03:37It is a really tight knit community, they've lost one of their own, somebody passed away

03:41a couple of days ago.

03:43It's a really difficult time.

03:45And so it will continue to be a really challenging situation in that area to the north of Townsville.

03:51There's also that bridge that's being washed out on the main route north on the Bruce Highway.

03:58The ADF is involved in the recovery effort now and one of the ADF spokesmen was speaking

04:04a little earlier and mentioning about their ability to build temporary bridges.

04:09Maybe that could be a solution to that key route being cut for the moment, that Bruce

04:15Highway.

04:16But attention now slowly turning towards support and recovery and the effort to get food and

04:23fuel into these communities as well.

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