Flooding deja vu wrecks unit
NORTH Ward resident Kate Sullivan had just finished replacing the last of her flooddamaged items from 2019 when stormwater swept through her apartment on Monday night, inundating her home once more.
Ms Sullivan lives in one of four units that were impacted by flash flooding about 8pm Monday.
Four firefighting crews and a swift water boat were called to her Alexandra St address.
There were fears an elderly woman next door would have to be evacuated by the swift water rescue team after more than 1m of water washed through the car park, but South Townsville Fire Station manager Luke Smith said the woman had been assessed by paramedics and was deemed healthy enough and willing to stay in her unit.
The units briefly lost power as a safety measure.
Ms Sullivan had been watching the tennis clash between Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal when she saw water coming in from her front door and her garage.
Her freezer began floating and at least 30cm of water came through her home, soaking her floor, furniture, and entering her car.
Ms Sullivan, who lives in the unit with her partner Dave, had replaced the last item she lost in the 2019 floods before Christmas but her new fridge had lasted only a month.
“Last year I had a chance to lift all of this stuff because I had some warning … this time it came so quick,” she said.
Ms Sullivan and her neighbours believe the culprit could be a large council-owned drain that runs from Castle Hill down, which became blocked after vegetation collected at the grate.
The heavy rain in Townsville on Monday night had other impacts on the city.
A rock slide at the Cutting in Sturt St on Monday night led to traffic chaos yesterday morning. The rocks had caused both sides of the road to be closed overnight but by yesterday Townsville City Council had reopened three of four lanes.
The council said geotechnical engineers had been onsite to inspect the area and make sure it was safe for residents. One lane was likely to remain closed until later this week.
The State Emergency Service were also kept busy responding to requests for help with multiple call-outs throughout Monday.
Northern region area controller John Forde said the help included everything from tarping people’s homes to sandbagging.
He said people on Magnetic Island and different suburbs throughout Townsville had called the SES for help.