A woman has died in Australia, and thousands have been forced to evacuate as torrential rainfall has triggered severe flooding in northern Queensland.
Authorities warn that water levels will continue to rise, creating a “dangerous and life-threatening” situation. Some areas have recorded nearly 1.3 meters (4.2 feet) of rain since Saturday.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has described the rainfall as “record” levels and said the downpours are expected to persist into Monday.
Meteorologists caution that this could be the region’s most severe flooding in over 60 years.
Torrential Rain Sparks Widespread Flooding
Crisafulli stated that the current conditions are unlike anything northern Queensland has faced “for a long time.”
“It’s not just the intensity, but it’s also the longevity of it,” he told Australian broadcaster ABC.
The woman who lost her life had been aboard a State Emergency Service (SES) dinghy that struck a tree and capsized in the town of Ingham.
Reports indicate that she was a civilian being rescued at the time, rather than an emergency worker. The five others on board managed to reach safety, and an investigation is now underway.
Meanwhile, emergency crews rescued three people stranded on the roof of a house in Cardwell, a town situated between Cairns and Townsville.
A video has surfaced showing a man in Ingham clinging to a pole after his vehicle was swept away, before being rescued by locals in a boat.
Thousands at Risk as Floodwaters Rise
The Townsville Local Disaster Management Group has warned that up to 2,000 homes in the city could be inundated, some as high as the second floor, as river levels continue to swell.
Residents in six Townsville suburbs were ordered to evacuate by midday on Sunday. However, officials report that around 10% of residents have chosen to remain.
The same areas suffered severe flooding in 2019. Premier Crisafulli urged residents to take evacuation orders seriously, stating: “In the end, houses and cars and furniture, that can all be replaced. Your family can’t.”
By Sunday night local time, additional evacuation centers were being set up as existing ones reached full capacity.
Infrastructure Damage and Supply Shortages
Flooding has caused sections of a major highway to collapse, complicating efforts to deploy rescue teams and transport sandbags to the most severely impacted areas.
Meanwhile, supermarkets have run out of fresh food supplies, and thousands of homes remain without power, including those in Ingham and the Indigenous community of Palm Island.
Authorities have also issued warnings about crocodiles, which may have been displaced by floodwaters and could be found outside their usual habitats.
Located in the tropics, northern Queensland is particularly vulnerable to cyclones, storms, and flooding.
Climate scientists warn that rising ocean temperatures and global warming are increasing the likelihood of more intense and frequent extreme rainfall events.