While rain has eased across the region, residents in the small community are also without power and telecommunications
A flood-hit town has been surrounded by water, cutting off power and telecommunications, as residents face a lack of fresh supplies after waking up to the news they have no running water.
Flooding in Queensland’s north-east on Wednesday comes after days of downpours, forcing hundreds to evacuate and claiming two lives.
However, Ingham has arguably been the worst hit, with road access cut as the nearby Herbert River rose beyond a 15.2m flood record set almost 60 years ago.
About 7,000 people have been without power for days, with telecommunications also affected and food supplies dwindling.
Reports have emerged of residents lining up at a petrol station to fill jerry cans to power generators, with diesel reportedly running out on Tuesday.
There have also been accounts of police maintaining order outside a local Woolworths, with hundreds queueing up outside to grab vital provisions.
Water has run out after a generator flown in to the town failed to fire up the local reticulated system, prompting an emergency alert early on Wednesday.
“The water system has failed and residents will not have water,” it said. “A timeframe for repairs is unknown however restoration is under way as a priority.”
The local mayor, Ramon Jayo, confirmed the bad news but hoped receding water levels would work in their favour.
“New generation equipment was installed late last night but pumps have failed to activate and council has been unable to determine the cause due to inundation of areas,” he posted on social media.
“Council staff are endeavouring to resolve the issue and will shortly be able to access the critical areas of concern due to receding water levels.”
The community is still coming to terms with a second flood-related fatality after an 82-year-old woman’s body was found in nearby cane fields on Tuesday.
The Ingham community was also rocked after a 63-year-old woman died when an SES boat helping people through flood waters struck a tree and flipped on Sunday.
It is believed it may be days before the major flood warning in the Ingham area is downgraded.
“That … is one of the places that’s had the most water through their town, the place that’s been isolated for a very long time,” the emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, told Nine’s Today show on Wednesday.
She confirmed there had been talks with Woolworths about getting food and other supplies into the area.
In the nearby Cardwell region, residents are also reeling after getting almost 1,700mm in the past week, ensuring the Venz family “lost absolutely everything”.
Chelsea Venz was able to evacuate in time with her partner and two children, but her father and stepmother had to be rescued from the shared property after they opted to stay and hope for the best.
Their two-metre-high property is completely inundated.
“Me and my family we’re young enough to rebuild and start again. But it’s just my dad and my step-mum, they’re in their 60s. It’s pretty devastating what’s happening,” Venz said.
There has been some relief with heavy rainfall easing in parts of the north but the flood threat continues.
An emergency alert was issued for the Burdekin region late on Tuesday, with locals warned the major arterial road – the Bruce Highway – would be cut by flood waters from Ayr to Home Hill.
Farther north, Georgetown residents were reportedly evacuated after the Etheridge River flooded after overnight downpours.
Flood-hit communities starting to return to their homes are being warned to brace for more downpours in the coming days.
There has been some relief with heavy rainfall easing, providing hope a huge clean-up facing the inundated region is set to finally begin.
However, there are moderate flooding warnings for multiple catchments, with up to 100mm forecast to fall in coming days around Townsville.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said: “Water is still moving through these catchment systems so that risk of riverine flooding will continue … likely over the next few days as we gradually start to see river levels falling.”
