Weathered By The Weather Torrential Downpours Cause Minor Flooding

Community sentiment remains strained as the region faced another round of torrential rain towards the end of last week. Localised heavy rainfall hit quickly, with up to 450mm recorded within a 24-hour period. In addition, the Halifax Bridge level rose to 5.36 metres—eerily close to the peak record of 5.6 metres set during the devastating January floods.

Despite this recent deluge, Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Master Flood Recovery Group Process, Mary Brown, encourages residents to remember that "waves" of heavy rain are common at this time of year. She reassured the community that the recent flooding receded quickly and, to the best of their knowledge, "no houses were impacted."

Saturated Ground Increases Flood Susceptibility

Although this recent rain event is considered "minor," the community remains on high alert, with flood levels recorded close to the peak of January’s devastating floods on the Halifax Bridge gauge.

Hinchinbrook Shire Council reminds residents that the ground is still heavily saturated from January’s floods, with the water table remaining high. As a result, any additional heavy rainfall is likely to lead to flooding more quickly than usual.

However, these areas are also expected to recede faster than in previous events.

Last week, more than 450mm of rain was recorded in just 24 hours.

Deputy Mayor Mary Brown noted that the rainfall was concentrated in "a very, very short period of time, very localised, but it moved quickly."

“The recent rain event affected the Ingham CBD and surrounding areas, but the water also drained away quickly,” she explained.

“The Lower Herbert was also impacted, particularly areas like Halifax, Lucinda, Macknade, and Taylors Beach, which are at the end of the river system.”

In addition to the local flooding, the Bruce Highway was again cut off for a period last Thursday.

Mary Brown shared that trucks were briefly allowed to pass Wednesday evening before the road was closed again overnight and did not reopen until Friday morning.

The Seymour River Bridge remains the main issue, having historically caused frequent road closures, and this latest event was no exception.

Currently, no flood resistance measures are in place for this area.

The Gairloch Washaway is another known issue on the Bruce Highway, with flood mitigation works currently underway to address this problem.

So far this year, the Bruce Highway has been closed for more than 16 days, severely disrupting traffic flow through the region.

“It is potentially not over yet; this is an exceptionally wet 'wet season,' and we often get it in waves. So, while it’s not uncommon, it’s important to stay alert and prepared,” explained Deputy Mayor Mary Brown.

Since January’s extreme flooding, Mary Brown has worked closely with other Hinchinbrook Shire Councillors to coordinate the recovery process and compile data that will inform future responses to similar events.

Councillors have identified short, medium, and long-term actions that will form the basis of the region’s recovery plan.

These actions include ensuring flood-damaged items are removed from properties within two weeks, and providing quick access to emergency grants to help the community recover faster.

Both of these initiatives proved successful during the January floods and have been prioritised for future events.

While the community continues to recover, Council urges residents to stay vigilant but not alarmed, reassuring them that the Council is prepared to respond swiftly and effectively if needed.