Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged people to stay home and avoid travelling as the state’s ‘unrelenting’ weather disaster continues.
xjmtzywAt least six people have died in “life-threatening” flooding that has smashed the state, with some calling it Queensland’s worst weather disaster since the infamous 2011 floods.
But the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has warned people in the southeast coast to brace for damaging winds and more heavy rainfall.
On Sunday Ms Palaszczuk said the weather appeared to be easing in the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions but urged people not to travel.
“If you don’t have to be on the roads, please do not be,” she said.
“This water is unrelenting at the moment,” she said.
“There’s a rain bomb sitting on the entire south east.
“It is constant and it’s now going to be with us for another 24 hours.”
Ms Palaszczuk said a lot of water was coming up in areas around the Brisbane river, with Wivenhoe Dam’s capacity standing around 16o per cent.
She also urged people to conserve drinking water due to a treatment system at Mount Crosby experiencing issues.
The severe weather warning was issued for the coast and parts of the Darling Downs and Granite Belt forecast districts on Sunday morning.
The BOM has warned more than 200mm could fall over six hours and “life-threatening flash flooding” could follow.
An emergency alert has also been issued for residents in Beachmere, north of Brisbane, warning properties “may have no water” due to a power outage.
“With Beachmere inaccessible due to flooded roads, Unitywater is investigating options to make the pump operational again,” the alert reads.
On Saturday, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner took to Twitter to share the council’s latest flood modelling.
He said overnight flows combined with possible Wivenhoe Dam releases and high tide could cause water to enter properties across the city.
“Residents in low-lying areas should make sure they’re prepared. Stock up on sandbags at our depots, ensure your household has essentials and know when it’s time to leave,” Mr Schrinner wrote.
On Sunday morning, a man’s body was found in a car in floodwaters in Indooroopilly.
He is the sixth person confirmed to have died during the weather disaster, with an SES volunteer perishing in floodwaters after trying to rescue stranded residents in the Lockyer Valley.
The body of a Goomboorian man, 37, was found in Gympie floodwaters on Saturday.
Areas north of Brisbane have borne the brunt of the devastating deluge, with thousands of homes without power.
In Gympie, the city’s CBD was inundated with water and multiple homes were evacuated as up to 950mm fell in the region.
Multiple roads across the Sunshine Coast also remain cut off.
Emergency services have responded to more than 6000 calls for flood related matters.
