Bracing for more water
King tides threaten flood-worn residents
TROPICAL Cyclone Oma is expected to stay clear of the North as flood-ravaged Townsville suburbs prepare for a second day of king tides.
The category 2 system was yesterday about 1500km east of the Queensland coast. The Bureau of Meteorology said the system was slowly moving south-southwest.
“We are fairly confident it will continue to do that over the next three to four days … bringing it closer to Queensland,” meteorologist Lachlan Stoney said.
“At this stage we are expecting it to stay offshore, moving away from Australia towards New Zealand.”
The cyclone is expected to combine with king tides, producing swells of up to 5m in southern Queensland.
“The main impact on Queensland is much further south. Beaches exposed to the open ocean can expect large swells,” Mr Stoney said.
“The swells could be quite serious for those areas, as they will be arriving on top of already high tides.”
Residents in low-lying areas such as Railway Estate and South Townsville, who are still recovering from the floods, are also urged to remain on alert. The king tides are expected until Thursday, with a peak of 4.18m and 4.15m today and tomorrow.
Railway Estate resident David Vize said the king tides came at a terrible time.
“That’s not good news. We are just recovering. It is not a great time to have to do it all again,” Mr Vize said. “We will be lifting all the stuff that we’ve got back up to a reasonable level again. The bottom row of all the new bookshelves, the beds, everything back off the floor.”
The Queens Rd resident said he was worried about fur- ther damage to equipment.
“There are tools and equipment, mowers – the shed is just recovering so there is a lot of gear on the floor that is now ruined,” he said.
“It could potentially just put us dead in the water and send us backwards.”
Townsville Local Disaster Management Group chair Mayor Jenny Hill said: “We encourage residents who may be impacted by saltwater flooding to move valuables and cars to higher ground and observe any warnings.
“If you are driving around these areas, please remember to remain cautious and vigilant around flooded roads – if it’s flooded forget it.”
Townsville City Council has asked residents to not place any more flood-affected waste by the kerb until after the king tides. Residents can collect sand and sandbags from the carpark at Bicentennial Park, Queens Rd.