Homes spared from flooding for now

26 Jan 2013, 3:08 pm   -   Source: AAP
Emergency flood alerts have been issued for several Queensland towns, officials say. (AAP)

Emergency flood alerts have been issued for several Queensland towns, officials say. (AAP)

Townships south of Gladstone in Central Queensland have been spared from flooding for now, with ex-cyclone Oswald refusing to move away from the region.

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Hundreds of homes in low-lying areas just south of Gladstone have been spared from flooding for now, but the emergency is far from over.

An emergency flood alert for evacuations had been issued before Saturday morning's high tide, with residents in Tannum Sands and Boyne Island, at the mouth of the Boyne River, asked to leave.

Almost five metres of water is gushing over the spillway of the Awoonga Dam upstream and that is expected to increase to six metres later in the day and to 7.5 metres on Sunday.

Gladstone Mayor Gail Sellers says it's not over for locals who have so far escaped flooding despite the once-in-a-century river levels.

"We are quite pleased none of our 400 houses had to evacuate," she told AAP.

"So we're now getting ready for the next time when we think we'll have the biggest problem and that's at the high tide on Sunday morning."

The downpour has not let up and the ex-cyclone remains west of the city, where massive rainfalls have been recorded.

Over 370mm of rain fell at Boolaroo Tops, 347mm at Kroombit Tops and 307mm at Captain Creek.

Flood warnings have been issued for the Calliope, Boyne, Baffle and Kolan Rivers.

The Callide and Kroombit Dams are experiencing unprecedented outflows.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has warned Goovigen residents, west of Gladstone, that properties are likely to experience flooding and they should take to higher ground.

The SES has received more than 650 requests for assistance since Friday morning, including more than 130 for Rockhampton, and more than 35 jobs each for Gladstone and Yeppoon.

Community Safety Minister Jack Dempsey said there were six swift water rescues overnight.

"Thankfully they were all very successful outcomes," he told ABC radio.

One of two fisherman reported missing off Rockhampton earlier in the week has been found.

The skipper of the 38-foot fishing vessel made a distress call on Thursday, saying the boat was taking on water in the Casuarina Passage off Port Alma.

A 60-year-old man was found on Balaclava Island about 11am Saturday, and a water and air search is under way for the second man.

The Bruce Highway is closed in several places between Rockhampton and Gladstone and the train line is cut near Rockhampton, stopping all services between Brisbane and Cairns.

Ergon Energy says thousands in central Queensland remain without power and staff will be flown to inaccessible areas to reconnect it.

The low pressure system is almost stationary and hasn't tracked to the southeast as predicted on Friday.

It expected to slowly move south to the southeast and bring heavier rain, dangerous surf, abnormally high tides and strong winds on Sunday and Monday.

"With all that heavy rain, flash flooding is definitely expected," Ken Kato from (Bureau of Meteorology) BoM told AAP.

SeqWater has increased its releases from Wivenhoe Dam as a precautionary measure.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued flood warnings for the Fitzroy, Dawson, Don, Mackenzie, Connor and Isaac rivers.

Meanwhile, the state government announced that residents affected by flooding in Rockhampton and surrounding areas can now seek financial help.

Individuals may be eligible for amounts of $180 up to a maximum of $900.

The federal government also announced the Burdekin, Lockhart River, Hinchinbrook, Banana, Gladstone and Rockhampton councils will receive financial help under the natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements.

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