We got a-wave with it
EASING RAIN ALLOWS MAJOR ROUTE TO REOPEN
A RELATIVELY dry Tuesday across the Far North has allowed most roads throughout the region to reopen after flooding further south threatened the national highway.
As of 7pm on Tuesday, no coastal communities in the Far North had reported any rain, with some Tablelands towns receiving under 10mm.
But further south, the Far North had been under threat of being cut off with the Bruce Hwy north of Ingham at the Seymour River down to one lane at midday Tuesday due to flash flooding causing water over the road.
The highway was then later opened at about 6pm with lanes reduced and drivers urged to exercise caution.
The adverse conditions were unlikely to have longlasting affects, with nearby Ingham Pump Station recording only 1mm of rain from 9am Tuesday, and the town expecting easing conditions on Wednesday.
North of Cairns, Daintree residents were forced to chainsaw their way out of flood-affected properties after the Anzac Day rain, with the cable ferry resuming service on Tuesday morning.
Tour operator David White said there was still no power at Daintree Village, but the floodwaters were dissipating following an “out-of-control” overnight dump.
“We had a lot of rain (Monday night), it was the heaviest of the whole lot,” he said. “We had a landslide in our front driveway, I had to chainsaw my way out of the driveway this morning to get to work.
“The last two days we’ve had to cancel bookings, it was just out of control.”
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said workers had been monitoring roads in the rainforest and had been working hard to minimise traffic disruptions.
“Motorists need to take care when travelling on the roads (while there is) plenty of water, mud, debris and potholes on the roads creating hazardous driving conditions,” he said.
“Our crews are working to safely reopen priority roads and crossings, so we ask for the community’s patience and co-operation while we work our way through this.”
However, the heavy rain over the weekend has left multiple Far North roads closed, including Mossman Mt Molloy Rd (Rex Hwy) at the Bushy Creek causeway, with water still over the road on Tuesday.
Cape Tribulation Rd at Cape Tribulation had also been closed to all traffic due to heavy rain and flash flooding and Esplanade Upper Daintree Rd between Noah and Upper Daintree was also closed due to boggy conditions.
The heavy rain also meant a busy period for rescue crews with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services reporting 24 SES assistance jobs from Thursday to Monday.
A QFES spokesman said jobs were mostly minor and related to assistance with tasks such as fallen trees and sandbagging assistance.
“The noteworthy job was assisting QAS with a patient across the Daintree River on Sunday night,” the spokesman said.
The calmer conditions come after a five-day (April 21-26) hammering where Cairns Airport recorded 204mm, Daintree Village reported over 400mm in that period, Cairns Racecourse had 300mm and on the Cassowary Coast, Innisfail reported 212mm.