AFTERMATH: A local takes a break from cleaning up after the latest flood in Gympie. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey Source: The Courier-Mail
MORE than 50 Gympie businesses have flooded after the Mary River peaked at 18.44m overnight - and it is now receding "very slowly", while the Bruce highway is expected to be cut until Thursday.
10.43am: AT Lowmead the local state school, which only reopened on Monday following ex-cyclone Oswald, has been forced to shut again due to flooding.
The school, northwest of Bundaberg, is one of about 40 across the North Coast and Darling Downs South West regions to close in the state sector today.
Catholic schools remain open but five in the Gympie, Maryborough and Childers areas are providing supervised study and tutorials only.
For more info on school closures go to the DETA website.
10.30am: THE clean up has begun in Gympie, where more than 50 businesses have flooded - and some shops could reopen in a few days.
The Mary River peaked at 18.44m after midnight but is receding slowly, with the Bruce Highway not expected to reopen until late tonight or early tomorrow.
The rural fire service and business owners in Mary and Monkland Streets in the CBD have begun hosing and sweeping out flood-drenched shops for the second time this year.
Many business owners are so well practised that they got all their stock out well in advance and may start moving back in this afternoon.
Peter Kross, owner of Woodrow Handcrafts on Mary Street, was this morning hosing out leaves and grass clippings deposited by the floodwaters in his sewing machine and accessories store on Mary Street.
TOUGH SELL: Gympie, north of Brisbane, has been flooded for the fifth time in two years. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
Mr Kross' stock had been shifted to his house and the shop fittings relocated to a friend's shed earlier in the week.
"Basically we'll wash out the floor and walls, take out the power points and let them dry; that should be done by lunch," said Mr Kross.
"We should hopefully get the first truckload of fittings in this afternoon. We might be able to reopen by Friday or Saturday."
Despite having had to evacuate his stock three times in the seven years at the shop, Mr Kross said he was unfazed.
"It's just a pain in the bum more than anything. That's all it is. When we moved in we knew it flooded here. We can do it again, I'm not worried."
However Mr Kross said he understood why the council would be keen to explore flood mitigation.
"I can see why council would want to but most businesses are prepared."
9.20am: SURF Life Saving Queensland said Gold Coast beaches north of Burleigh to the Sea Way remain closed on Wednesday.
Beaches south of Burleigh may be opened as the tide goes out around noon.
Gympie, north of Brisbane, has been flooded for the fifth time in two years. Pictured is Red Hill Road. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
On the Sunshine Coast, Alexandra Headlands, Coolum North, Discovery Beach, Marcoola, Maroochydore Beach, Mudjimba Beach, Peregian Beach and Twin Waters are shut.
Aaron Purchase, the Sunshine Coast's surf life saver coordinator, said beach closures were due to access issues rather than dangerous surf.
"Conditions haven't been great, but they haven't been treacherous," he said.
9am: RAIN has eased across the southeast, but drivers are warned to travel safely and be wary of changed road conditions.
The Kholo Bridge at Kholo in Ipswich is underwater and has been shut until further notice.
Molle Road at Ransome and Pratten Street at Corinda have also been closed for traffic travelling in both directions and drivers have been advised to take alternate routes.
Youngs Crossing Road at Petrie is still flooded because of water releases from North Pine Dam earlier this week.
Roads that continue to be affected include:
Bowman Parade at Bardon;
AFTERMATH: Cleaning up after the latest flood in Gympie. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
Fursden and Preston Road at Carina;
Gap Creek Road at Kenmore;
Paradise Road at Larapinta;
Beckett Road at McDowall;
Marshall Road at Rocklea.
There are about 50 roads closed on the Sunshine Coast, after 10 were reopened yesterday afternoon and this morning.
The Sunshine Coast Council said the Bruce Highway at Traveston, south of Gympie, remains shut because of flooding.
The D'Aguilar Highway has been cut at Kilcoy Creek in Kilcoy and the Stanley River at Woodford.
The Sunshine Coast Council has released a list of road closures here.
Gympie, north of Brisbane, has been flooded for the fifth time in two years. Pictured is Mary Street in the CBD. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
Brisbane CityCat ferry services have resumed this morning.
Route 514 buses are being diverted from King Edward Parade in Ipswich due to flood waters. One stop is being missed on King Edward Parade and Blackall Street.
School buses using the Lobb Street Bridge have also been diverted.
8.10am: Gympie mayor Ron Dyne was up early today to survey the city's fifth flood in two years, which affected the CBD around Mary and Monkland Streets.
There was some small reprieve, with the river not reaching the expected 19m when it peaked just after midnight.
Cr Dyne said the Bruce Highway was unlikely to reopen today because the ongoing drizzle was slowing the rate at which the river was receding.
"The Bruce Highway opens at 14m. I think we'll be looking at Thursday morning at the earliest," he said.
Cr Dyne said more than 120 stranded travellers were last night taking shelter on stretchers at the Civic Centre.
Another 12 motorists are isolated on the southern side, which is is cut off from town by the flooded Kidd Bridge.
Gympie, north of Brisbane, has been flooded for the fifth time in two years. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
Some businesses had not long returned to their premises after the January flood.
Dick Smith on Mary Street had apparently reopened on Monday after spending money on refurbishments.
Cr Dyne said the council's well-oiled recovery team would hit the streets this morning and begin hosing and mopping.
"They do it before the mud settles. Although, it doesn't look like this flood has a lot of mud. It seems to be a fairly clean flood as far as mud goes."
Local business employee Jamie Burns was also out inspecting the flooded CBD early this morning.
He and his colleagues spent six hours yesterday moving the contents of the Mitre 10 store in town - an estimated 40 tonne of material - to higher ground.
"We do it in levels. When they said the river would hit 18m we moved one level and then when they said 19m we moved the next level," said Mr Burns.
"And while we were waiting, we were helping everyone else. I drove the fork lift for another four hours for other businesses."
Mr Burns said Gympie people had their flood routines but they were getting tired of it.
Gympie, north of Brisbane, has been flooded for the fifth time in two years. Pictured is The Royal Hotel in Monkland Street. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
"They reckon we're in for another one yet. You do get tired but you get used to knowing what you're doing," he said.
"Everyone in Gympie knows what they've got to do."
Cr Dyne said the council was undertaking a detailed flood study so investigate flood mitigation, including the possibility of permanent or portable levies.
7.30am: THE severe weather warning in place across southeast Queensland has been lifted, but the rain clouds have not.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Brisbane received 15.6mm in the 24 hours before 9am yesterday as the upper trough over central Queensland weakens.
Forecasters expected lighter showers to hang around the southeast today and tomorrow.
"By Friday, we'll see another upper trough start arcing up over our area," forecaster Ken Kato said.
"The rain will be heavier in pockets, with some places getting more than others."
The southern part of Queensland's central coast down to the Sunshine Coast was lashed with the heaviest rain yesterday.
The Mary Valley on the outskirts of Gympie is flooded. Gympie residents are bracing for the fourth flood of the year with the Mary River expected to peak.
The Sunshine Coast hinterland region was the worst hit with 121mm of rain falling near the Cooloolabin Dam in the 24 hours before 9am yesterday.
The dam is at full capacity.
Wivenhoe Dam, Brisbane's main reservoir, Somerset Dam, Hinze Dam and North Pine Dam are also at 100 per cent capacity.
Somerset Dam received the most rain, with 36mm falling since 9am yesterday.
Others totals include: Wivenhoe Dam received 15mm since 9am yesterday; Somerset Dam received 36mm since 9am yesterday; Hinze Dam received 9mm since 9am yesterday; North Pine Dam received 4mm since 9am yesterday; and Gympie received 54.4mm of rain in the 24 hours before 9am yesterday, with the Mary River peaking below the predicted 19m at 18.44m just after midnight.
The river is expected to fall below the major flood level this afternoon.
Further downstream, the Mary River is predicted to reach a minor flood peak of 7m around Maryborough but is not expected to inundate homes and businesses.
Bureau hydrologists said there will not be any significant flood issues along the lower Brisbane River, with flooding confined to the Lockyer Creek and Bremer River.
The Bremer River at Ipswich peaked yesterday afternoon just under 8m, but has since fallen below minor flood level of 7m.
Out west, the Cooper Creek is expected to cause minor to moderate flooding near Windorah in southwest Queensland, 16 hours west of Gympie.
Overnight, it was reported that residents and business owners in Gympie were bracing for their fifth flood in two years, as the Mary River broke its banks after 200mm of rain belted the town in just 24 hours.
The weather system that has saturated the southeast continues to move north, with weather bureau forecasters warning residents in Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Gympie, Biloela, Kingaroy, Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, and the Sunshine Coast and adjacent hinterland that downpours of more than 200mm are possible.
The torrential rain has already taken a huge toll, with one person dead, the SES working through more than 300 calls for help, and the main north-south Bruce Highway and dozens of lesser roads cut along the eastern seaboard.
Releases from Wivenhoe and Somerset dams have been ramped up.
As wet weather moves north, the focus is on the flood-battered towns of Maryborough, Bundaberg and Gladstone, which are still recovering from severe flooding three weeks ago.
Flooding is expected to be minor but will hamper rebuilding.
In Gympie, Mayor Ron Dyne appealed for mercy from the weather gods, with about 10 businesses expected to be affected last night.
"Four floods in one year is too much," he said. "We've had five in the past two years and now we've got water entering buildings again."
A police road block on the Bruce Highway south of Gympie blocks traffic heading into the town.
Gympie was cut off and evacuation centres and emergency services had set up north and south of the Mary River, which cuts the farming town in half.
Cr Dyne said floods had cost $88 million during the past two years, with the federal and state governments paying for most of the work.
The latest repair bill was not yet known but damage was occurring on top of damage.
Fraser Coast Regional Council Mayor Gerard O'Connell said as many as 30 Maryborough homes would be affected, though not all of those would be inundated.
"Some will get water in their homes but we're not sure on the numbers until the flood peak hits Gympie," he said.
"We're thinking it's going to be about a 7m flood. The Australia Day flood that inundated the CBD was 10.7m."
Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the Government would put about $4 million into training and employment in areas hit by ex-Cyclone Oswald, with a focus on clean-up work and long-term rebuilding projects.
Rain is expected to ease in Brisbane, with a forecast today of showers and a top of 27C.
Further showers and storms are expected on Friday and Saturday as Seqwater increases dam releases to ease pressure on storages.
PARADISE LOST: Or at least temporarily, as Chris Hamblin finds, as the sand runs out at Mermaid Beach. Pic: Luke Marsden
Reporting by Kathleen Donaghey, Kate McKenna, Kris Krane, Brian Williams and Tanya Chilcott
AFTERMATH: Peter Kross from Woodrow Handcrafts cleaning up after the latest flood in Gympie. Picture: Kathleen Donaghey
