Forecasters warn of more wet weather in some locations, including Townsville, on Thursday
Rain-battered northern Australia is preparing for continued wet weather with flood-weary residents fearing more thick, black mud to clean up.
Ayr to Cairns in northern Queensland has been inundated with heavy rainfall and flooding for days as forecasters warn of falls of more than 100mm in the next 24 hours.
Before a visit to the region by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Thursday, flood-affected residents such as Marion Canty were anxious their homes will again be swamped with water and mud.
“I am really worried,” she said.
Canty watched the flood waters inundate the bottom level of her Giru home, south of Townsville, on Sunday, as she sat isolated, without power.
She has lived through at least four floods but the regional Queenslander said this was by far the worst.
To make matters more difficult, Canty lost her husband five weeks ago and this marked the first flood without his support.
“I feel as though I have been left on my own,” she said.
“He was the one who did everything, cleaned everything, but it is all left to me now.”
Canty’s daughter Kim and granddaughter Josie came to help clean up the thick, smelly black mud that coated the floors and the shed on Wednesday.
The pair had mud-coated hands and their crocs turned from white to black as they mopped up the mess.
Other northern Queenslanders have not yet been able to start the clean-up as cut-off Ingham still grapples with deep flood waters.
The town’s streets and homes were submerged and the local substation was also flooded meaning power has been cut for days.
Residents lost their water supply on Wednesday before agencies rushed to fix the facilities with the focus now on restoring power.
Ingham residents reportedly lined up at a petrol station to fill jerry cans to power generators, with diesel running out on Tuesday.
There were also accounts of police maintaining order outside a local Woolworths, with hundreds queueing outside to grab vital provisions.
The emergency turned deadly after two people lost their lives in Ingham while emergency services frantically searched for a man swept away in flood waters.
The man – described as Caucasian, about 188cm tall, with dark hair – was last seen entering flood waters about 5.15pm on Tuesday.
He was wearing black shorts, a black singlet, a black backpack and arrived on a blue bicycle.
As residents remain evacuated, police have deployed extra patrols to crack down on looting of empty homes after three offences were reported in Ingham and Townsville’s Rosslea and Railway Estate.
“I am disgusted by these reports of people in our community taking advantage of this weather event and the devastation it has caused across our region,” Townsville Supt Chris Lawson said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of extensive rain across the north of Queensland on Thursday.
Meteorologist Angus Hines said falls should ease slightly on the tropical coast but will intensify in central Queensland and on the coast near Mackay.
The latest forecast for Townsville suggested falls up to 140mm on Thursday, while Ingham has up to 50mm of rain expected.
Flood watches were issued for northern, inland and central parts of Queensland.
