Residents in Townsville have been evacuated after a landslip threatened homes while further south four communities have been told to head to higher ground.

January 31, 2019

Queensland’s big wet continues to dump torrential rain in the state’s north, as flash flooding and landslips force more people from their homes.

A disaster situation has been declared by the Queensland government, and all schools and childcare centres in the Townsville area will remain closed on Friday.

The once in 20-year weather event has caused residents to be evacuated after a landslip damaged a Townsville apartment complex’s foundation and retaining walls about on Thursday.

Further south, people in low-lying homes at Alligator Creek, Nome, Julago and Giru were warned to move to higher ground as the monsoon trough dumped vast amounts of rain.

Falls of over 100mm in three hours continue to be recorded from Tully to Proserpine, where a severe weather warning was in place on Thursday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Some areas have recorded more than 375mm in the 24 hours to 9am.

Townsville’s Ross River Dam is at 140 per cent of capacity, forcing operator SunWater to partially open its spill gates.

North of the city, at Bluewater, where homes were swamped by more than a metre of water on Wednesday, residents were beginning to mop up.

The Townsville City Council believes between 20 and 30 properties had water above the floorboards, with some homes seriously damaged.

But the council expects that figure to rise as more extensive inspections are carried out.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said up to a week of wet weather could lie ahead.

Major floods warnings have been issued for the Haughton, Herbert, Ross and Bohle rivers.

A flood watch is in place for catchments from the Daintree to Mackay.

The severe weather warning extends from north of Tully to Proserpine, and almost as far inland as Greenvale.

“Bands of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are likely within the warning area through the remainder of today and Friday,” the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

“Monsoon flow is forecast to increase across Cape York Peninsula on Friday and the weekend, which is likely to maintain or strengthen the monsoon trough.”

It said already saturated river catchments would rise very quickly, and the risk of flash flooding is high.

More than 80 schools and child care centres will remain closed.