Communities isolated and inundated by floodwaters in the far north Queensland are running out of supplies and “desperate” for military intervention, the Douglas-shire mayor said, as the severe flooding emergency continued to unfold on Monday.
Scores of towns, from Cooktown to Innisfail, were cut off by floodwaters, with all major state roads and railways in the region cut off. Cairns residents have been asked to only use water for emergency purposes.
Hundreds of residents have been required to evacuate and Cairns Airport remains closed after more than 2 meters of rain fell in some towns in less than a week, with more forecast for Monday.
Authorities said they plan to evacuate the entire indigenous community of Wujal Wujalwhile nine people remained stranded on rooftops in the nearby communities of Bloomfield and Degarra.
Crocodiles were spotted in floodwaters from Ingham to Wujal Wujal, where another nine people, including a young boy, were stranded on the roof of the health clinic overnight before they could evacuate.
The Daintree River surpassed previous 120-year-old flood records on Monday by more than 2 metres.