The looming threat of a potential cyclone, currently positioned to the west of Vanuatu, might not yet be within Australian waters, but its impact is anticipated to be felt strongly along Queensland’s coastline. Weather experts caution that “beach erosion and inundation” are likely to affect the area.
According to Garry Youngberry, a weather expert from 9News, a “massive groundswell” is expected to strike the coast around Monday. In preparation, authorities are reportedly beginning to remove shark nets stretching from Coolangatta to Main Beach, extending up to the Sunshine Coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecasts intense rainfall for the northern parts of the Sunshine State in the coming days. The remnants of ex-cyclone Koji are expected to bring severe thunderstorms to a region already struggling with heavy saturation.
Overnight, the state was under multiple major flood warnings, with additional alerts for moderate and minor flooding in place.
As the aftermath of ex-cyclone Koji unfolds, residents who were evacuated from Clermont are now returning to assess the damage. Much of the town remains buried under mud and debris, creating a challenging scenario for those coming back to their homes.
‘Every fence is down’
As the fallout from ex-cyclone Koji continues, evacuated residents from Clermont are returning home to take in the mess, with much of the town buried under mud and rubble.
About 48 hours on from a flood unlike any Jarrod Humphreys has seen before, it’s his livelihood he’s now working to protect.
Having evacuated his family and neighbours by helicopter and relocating livestock, he now faces a massive clean-up.
“These panels are now washed up here. It’s just a mess, it’s a mess,” Humphreys told 9News.
“I can’t hold an animal in here at the moment, every fence is down.”
Rachael Brent’s family also fled the rising brown tide.
The Clermont family returned to face the blanket of thick mud left behind.
“We’ve gurnied all our patio and our shed out and mucked all that out,” Brent told 9News.
“It’ll take I reckon weeks – we’ve been very fortunate to have our family and friends helping us.”
According to the regional development minister, 71 properties across the area have been impacted, four of them to a significant extent.
Hardship payments have been activated for the coal mining community as the flood threat escalates in neighbouring regions.
“We’re going to see the moderate flooding at Yamba over the weekend and then Rockhampton into Monday,” Laura Boekel from the BoM said.
Beef capital residents warned the risk along the Fitzroy River will intensify next week.
“We’ve got time to prepare and we’ll see those floodwaters slowly rise, which gives our community time to take those steps that they need to do,” Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams said.
To the north-west, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, it’s still an almighty effort just to keep isolated locals fed.
The supply runs will continue to take the form of a production lines of trucks and tractors forming a conveyor belt for some time to come.
