By Owen Jacques and Hannah Walsh, ABC
Ingham is among areas in north Queensland experiencing extreme rainfall. Photo: ABC News/Sophie Johnson
Authorities are warning the worst is yet to come for flooded parts of north Queensland, with three-day rainfall totals set to top 1000 millimetres.
Emergency services had knocked on thousands of doors in Townsville asking residents to prepare to leave, and some had made their way to evacuation centres.
Multiple areas had more than 500mm of rain since Saturday morning, on top of already soaking falls since Friday.
Paluma Dam, north of Townsville, recorded 620mm of rain since 9am Saturday, while Rollingstone had 572mm and 365mm fell in Bluewater.
Communities from Cardwell to Ayr were at greatest risk on Sunday, with another 500mm forecast to fall.
More evacuation orders to come
Queensland Police service superintendent Graeme Pain said authorities were bracing for dangerous flooding, and as the situation escalated, evacuation orders would be given.
Hinchinbrook Shire Council issued an emergency alert at 4:30am on Sunday, warning residents to take shelter.
With riverine catchments from Cairns to Mackay already swollen, authorities believed today would be critical.
Authorities have knocked on thousands of doors in Townsville. Photo: ABC News/Cammeron Simmons
Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore said north Queensland was facing a "flood disaster" with torrential rain through the night.
"We're still likely to see at least another widespread 100mm to almost 200mm in the warning area, on top of what we've already seen," he said.
"We could even see isolated falls in excess of 400mm or 500mm as well in the next kind of 24 hours.
"Unfortunately, a lot more rain to come, and major flooding will continue to impact many rivers, creeks and streams and flash flooding as well. Everything's just so saturated now."
SES northern region director Daryl Camp said most calls for help in the Townsville region had been for sandbagging and leaky roofs.
"Unfortunately, a number of those calls are saying we've had a tarp on the roof for a year, which meant it was Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, and they still haven't been able to get their roof fixed," he said.
"This could be a three-to-four-week marathon, it's not a sprint."
'A lot more rain to come'
Meteorologist Dean Narramore said while a cyclone had not developed, strong winds were still a factor.
"We've got some possibly damaging winds around our islands and coastal communities from around Hinchinbrook Island all the way down to around Ayr," he said.
"These winds could easily bring down some trees, particularly for those right on the coast, which has caused power outages and additional issues on top of all the flooding that we have."
Narramore said the storm was far from letting up.
"It hasn't stopped raining in Townsville for many hours, and unfortunately, there's probably still a lot more rain to come," he said.
- ABC
