Emergency evacuation for Jambin after floodgates open at Callide Dam

An emergency evacuation has been ordered for the central Queensland towns of Jambin and Goovigen after automatic floodgates opened at the nearby Callide Dam in the wake of Cyclone Marcia.

Banana Shire Mayor Ron Carige has urged residents in low-lying areas, including the local school, to evacuate and seek higher ground.

It is believed up to 100 people in the area could be affected by flooding, which is about 40km from the dam.

"Areas in Jambin and Goovigen are likely to experience rapidly rising water levels over the next two to three hours posing a danger to residents," an emergency alert said.

"You should move to higher ground now. For more information listen to local radio."

It is understood an SMS alert system failed, but residents have been contacted via landline phones and through social media, Cr Carige said.

"We've gone on Facebook and we're phoning as many people as we can," he told the Courier Mail..

"We can't make them go but we're appealing to them to go and from past experience they're well geared for this operation... they're pretty resilient."

The town last flooded in 2013, but water levels at the dam are believed to be higher now than that event.