One confirmed dead as floods pummel far north Queensland

A man’s body has been found in floodwaters at Normanton, north-west Queensland.

Police were called to a vehicle submerged in floodwater on Gulf Development Road around 3pm. The body of a man in his 70s was found inside the vehicle.

The death has not been deemed suspicious.

The fatality comes as heavy rainfall, flash flooding and widespread riverine flooding have continued across far north Queensland, with more than 30 roads cut on Tuesday afternoon.

Communities were told to prepare for prolonged impacts, as the government assured them it was ready for these types of disasters.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the Bruce Highway had reopened after being briefly cut by the Seymour River between Ingham and Tully, but would likely be closed again if heavy rainfall persisted, given the tidal nature of the river.

He urged those affected and anyone travelling to use the government’s disaster dashboard page for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

“Google Maps doesn’t know where the local impacts are – they’re headquartered a long, long way away,” he said.

Crisafulli said his main concerns were the impact of the severe weather on roads and agriculture.

In 2019, hundreds of thousands of cattle died as floods ravaged north-west Queensland, but the premier said livestock were going into the potential disaster in better condition this year.

“Many people will remember those images from 2019, they were harrowing, and at this stage it appears that the impact on stock will be far less,” he said.

He said there would still be an impact, and the government is ready to step in to provide fodder. “We stand ready to assist in any way, shape or form.”

The Queensland Disaster Management Committee gathered on Tuesday morning to speak with affected local councils, and disaster relief has been activated for five north Queensland councils.

Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Flinders, McKinlay and Richmond shire councils have all been approved for financial assistance by the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements scheme.

The extra funding will support local councils’ response, clean-up and recovery, including emergency roadworks and repairs to public assets.

Crisafulli emphasised that the government had prepared for this weather, and he was confident it could handle it.

“There’s been large falls across the north and north-west, but it is wet season rain, and whilst some of the falls, both official and unofficial, are large falls, we’ve got every confidence in locals being able to handle that.”

Police Minister Dan Purdie echoed his message, urging travellers in the region to pay close attention to the conditions and relevant warnings, and to stay away from floodwaters.

“It’s not only you and your family that you’re potentially putting at risk if you even think about driving through floodwaters,” he said.

“It’s our first responders, it’s our police, it’s our SES volunteers, it’s our swift water rescue personnel who are the ones that will be asked to pull you out of those conditions.”

With AAP

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