Townsville declared a disaster zone as man feared missing


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A man is missing, major roads including the Bruce Highway are cut and dozens of schools are closed as north Queensland’s flood disaster rolls on.


Forecasters say another 200mm of rain could fall on the sodden Townsville region on each of the next few days, keeping already swollen rivers at major flood levels.


Police have been given extra evacuation powers after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared a disaster situation on Thursday.


She ordered schools and childcare centres in the flood zone remain closed on Friday, saying it was the best option to keep kids safe.


At Giru south of Townsville police spent the night searching for a 32-year-old man last seen on foot near Black Gully about 5pm.


They fear he tried to enter floodwaters in an attempt to get home.


The search continued until just before midnight but the atrocious weather forced a halt, with officers left to monitor the creek line during the night.


A search resumed for the man at first light.


The Bruce Highway remains cut south of Townsville and there are major disruptions to the city’s transport services, with most urban and school bus services affected by the deluge.


At 6am, the Bureau of Meteorology said the heaviest falls were occurring over Townsville. It said falls up to 200mm in six hours were possible on Friday.


“Creek and river catchments are already saturated and will therefore respond very rapidly to any rainfall,” it warned.


“The monsoon trough is expected to remain active into next week, with further heavy rainfall expected for already saturated catchments between about Cairns and Bowen. The potential for significant and dangerous flash flooding will likely continue into next week.”


North Queensland's Daintree River has reached a record flood peak.

Flood warnings are also current for northwest Queensland.


Communities near the Northern Territory border, including Camooweal, Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Julia Creek and Urandangi are at risk of flash flooding on Friday and Saturday.


Many major rivers in north Queensland have hit major flood level, leaving residents in low-lying communities nervous.


The premier is due to be briefed by emergency authorities in Brisbane on Friday morning.


Article source: https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/racing/race-by-race-tips-and-preview-for-tamworth-on-monday-20181028-p50ch8.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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