Goondiwindi Region Flood Update #13 – An update from the Mayor - 2 December 2021

Council provides the following update on townships in the Goondiwindi region.

Goondiwindi

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) have this afternoon [Thursday] again issued a major flood warning for the Macintyre River at Goondiwindi of 10.7 m for tomorrow afternoon.

The predicted river height is within the levee bank, and is similar to the March 2011 levels.

The Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) continue to plan for all eventualities.

Residents are encouraged to be prepared, keep informed and stay aware. Please visit the Get Ready Queensland site for flood preparation checklists - https://www.getready.qld.gov.au/understand-your-risk/types-natural-disasters/flood

BoM will issue another update at around 10pm tonight and again early tomorrow morning. Council and the LDMG will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide communication to our residents as it is available.

Talwood, Bungunya and Toobeah

Mayor of the Goondiwindi Region, the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM said “Residents of our western towns have already been doing it tough with limited road access to Goondiwindi for several days.

“With the Macintyre River peak still days away from reaching the western end of the region, Council has been liaising with the Toobeah and Talwood stores to ensure that residents are able to stock-up now in preparation.

Estimated peak predictions for Talwood will be provided by BoM as upstream peaks are observed.

Inglewood

Cr Springborg said “The Inglewood recovery is well under way. Whilst this has been a devastating few days, the community spirit in helping each other is exceptional and makes me very proud to be a part of this wonderful community. I’ve seen businesses set aside their entire workforce to assist others to get the town back up and running.

“We will also start to see additional services arrive in town to support financial and social recovery, further details about these services will be available tomorrow.

Texas

The Dumaresq peaked at Texas at close to 8.7 m this morning. The Dumaresq River at Texas is expected to remain above the major flood level (8.00 m) during Thursday and into Friday as floodwater continues to arrive from upstream.

Cr Springborg said “The Texas community is safe which is the most important thing.

“I had the opportunity this morning to accompany the Queensland Water Police to undertake welfare checks. Please spare a thought for the rural property owners in this area as they have had significant damage, which all comes on top of drought and other flood hardships.

“Can I also remind residents the importance of taking photos of any damage to their property for insurance purposes,” he said.

Yelarbon

Cr Springborg said the precautionary measure yesterday, based on local flood modelling, had afforded residents the opportunity to make an informed decision about the situation for themselves and their families.

“Preparation is absolutely key in any flooding scenario,” he said. “The LDMG had to make a call. If the decision-making was left any later, it could have risked Yelarbon residents missing their chance to evacuate.”

“We have been fortunate that the timing of the Macintyre Brook system peak and the Dumaresq River peak meant we didn’t have a much more serious scenario for this community.

“Council along with the Queensland Police Service will continue to explore options tomorrow to return Yelarbon residents back home after assessing road conditions. Until that time the Goondiwindi Evacuation Centre will remain open for the Yelarbon residents who did evacuate.

“The community has avoided any inundation. This is the best outcome we could have hoped for, especially after the situation that arose in Inglewood the night before.

Emergency Contact Details:

• Life Threatening Emergencies – telephone triple zero (000)

• SES – 132 500 Keep up to date with rainfall and river conditions: http://www.bom.gov.au/qld

For the latest road conditions and weather warnings for the Goondiwindi Region, visit http://dashboard.grc.qld.gov.au

Remember: If it's flooded, forget it.