Emergency invoked as floodwaters rise

Press, 4 April 1989, Page 8

Emergency invoked as floodwaters rise

NZPA-AAP Brisbane Floodwaters swirled through the centre of the former gold-mining town of Gympie last night as south-east Queensland endured another day of heavy rain.

Commonwealth-state emergency relief measures were invoked for flood-stricken areas,

the worst of which was the Mary River valley, 150 km north of Brisbane. Yesterday afternoon, water was already more than 2m deep in Gympie’s central business dis-

trict as the town was hit by the worst floods since 1974. The Bureau of Meteorology said the Mary River was expected to peak at 20m at midnight last night, causing major flooding. It reached a peak of 20.73 m in the 1974 floods. But the bureau has warned that rain still falling in the Mary River catchment area could lead to the worst floods in the area since 1955. Queensland’s Premier, Mike Ahern, yesterday flew to Gympie

and declared it a natural disaster area as floodwaters continued to rise at about half a metre an

hour. As business people cleared shops in preparation for more flooding, Mr Ahern warned damage in the Gympie area alone could run into millions of dollars.

Queensland’s Cabinet approved the declaration of flood damage during March and April as a natural disaster under Federalstate disaster-funding arrangements. Emergency service plans are operating for the Gympie-Widgee shire areas and at least three people have been airlifted out of the town. The army yesterday rushed service personnel and vehicles to assist with evacuation and flood relief at Gympie and a spokes-

person said a rifle company had been put on notice to assist civil authorities in south-east Queens-

land. The Bruce Highway has been cut north of Gympie and is likely to remain closed until today. .Floodwaters in the Gympie area have also cut train links north.

So far two people have been confirmed dead in the flooding, and police have given up hope of finding a missing Brisbane woman alive. Gold Coast police recovered the body of Norman George McFarlane, aged 50, of Mudgeeraba near Southport, on Sunday. Mr McFarlane drowned when his car was swept off a flooded causeway at Mudgeeraba. The body of James Russell Don, aged 64, of Numinbah Valley was also found.

Police said he drowned while trying to swim a creek to his home. Meanwhile, people living along the Queensland coast north of Cairns and Townsville have been warned to prepare for the worst as Cyclone Aivu continues to move closer. The Brisbane Weather Bureau said yesterday the cyclone, with winds of up to 200km/h, had intensified overnight and was moving at lOkm/h. A spokeswoman said people living along the coast from Cairns to Townsville had been warned to prepare for destructive gale force winds of up to 100 km h. The spokeswoman said the bureau was keeping a close watch on the cyclone.