More trouble for Queensland as floods worsen
Two people have died due to floods in Queensland, with one woman passing away when an SES boat capsized on Sunday and another woman's body was found in a paddock near Ingham on Tuesday.
The town, home to 4,500 people, has been dealt with another blow following peak flooding on Sunday and Monday, as they are now left without drinking water.
A generator arrived in the town on Tuesday, but due to IT issues, it will take a while before the systems return.
“This is a water failure advice message from the Hinchinbrook Shire Local Disaster Management Group,” an alert issued at 6am on Wednesday said.
“The water system has failed and residents will not have water. A timeframe for repairs is unknown however restoration is under way as a priority.”
More torrential rain is expected in the coming days in the areas of Queensland that have been hit with deadly flooding.
Ingham is expected to be hit by more than 200mm of rain from Wednesday to Saturday.
Forecasts for Townsville have been upgraded to expected rainfall of up to 100mm on Wednesday, up to 80mm on Thursday and up to 90mm on Friday.
“It has been an incredibly difficult weekend and couple of days through this week for these communities and we do have devastating news yesterday that a second person has lost their life," Emergency management minister Jenny McAllister told the Today show.
“We’re, of course, really thinking about their friends and their family. This will be really tough for them, but it’ll be really tough for the community of Ingham."
McAllister told the Today show that the government will continue to provide support to those communities impacted by the flooding, with assistance being sent and a Disaster Recovery Allowance set up for those who've lost income.
They are also working with Woolworths to ensure the communities could get food supplies as soon as possible, as highways remain closed.
“We’re really looking to throw everything we can at supporting these communities have been isolated for quite some time now," she said.
"I’m hoping to get to Ingham myself today and that’ll be a chance to talk a little more with locals, see how they’re travelling. They have really been through an incredibly difficult time."
Image: Nine