Queenslanders in the rain-soaked south-east of the state are dare to hope they have seen the worst of the extreme weather event that has soaked towns and seen rivers break their banks.
Between 200 and 300 millimeters have fallen across the state in the past 48 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology said Saturday, but the rain stopped Friday evening with only 10 to 20 millimeters falling over a six-hour period.
“This easing trend is good news and it will continue until today,” the office’s Matthew Collopy told reporters.
Major flood warnings are still in place for the Condamine, Logan and Bremer rivers, and Warrill, Laidley and Lockyer creeks.
There is a moderate flood warning for the Mary River, while a minor flood warning is in place for the Brisbane River.
Most of those rivers have already peaked or will peak later on Saturday, Mr Collopy said, with flood warnings easing over the next few days.
“Don’t be complacent”
But Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy warned residents not to be complacent.
“While we see the rain easing today, we still have a number of streams flowing,” Mr Chelepy said on Saturday.
“It is very likely that you will still see road closures. Please do not use these roads.
“I know the weather is improving, but it allows the emergency services to focus on the areas we need to focus on. We just ask people from other regions to be careful.
Eighty-seven buildings were affected by floodwaters in Warwick, with 49 people using shelter services due to the breaching of the Condamine River.
Recovery efforts will begin
“The district disaster group and the local disaster group are meeting today,” Mr Chelepy said. “As the river goes down, they will move towards these recovery efforts.”
Emergency services are also preparing for moderate flooding at the Mary River to hit the town of Gympie on Saturday.
“We expect minor impacts on CBD businesses,” Chelepy said. “But we don’t expect the predicted spikes (or) significant impacts, particularly on homes in the area.”
It comes after hundreds of homes in southeast Queensland and more than 700 roads were hit by floodwaters on Friday.
Queensland beaches remain closed on Saturdays and families are advised to avoid lakes and creeks.
-PAA
