Flood-ravaged outback Queensland set for more rain
Outback Queensland, already ravaged by major flooding, is set for further rain this week as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Dianne move east.
The flood emergency in Queensland's south-west has impacted an area bigger than Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand combined, inundating homes, destroying infrastructure like sheds, machinery and fences and killing livestock.
The federal government has agreed to send the military to assist with fuel and fodder drops in an attempt to minimise any further livestock loss but tens of thousands of cattle and sheep are understood to have died.
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Forecast rain this week. Source: Weatherzone. Weatherzone
Dianne, now a tropical low, made landfall on the Kimberely coast early on Saturday morning.
According to Weatherzone, it has since weakened and will continue to move east dumping heavy rain into already engorged rivers and creeks.
Today, flood watches and flood warnings are in place in districts spanning more than 3000km across Australia, the forecaster estimates.
A major flood disaster is underway in Queensland. 9News
Many graziers have been forced to abandon their properties, with multiple towns facing rising waters.
Overnight, floodwaters breached the levee wall protecting the town of Thargomindah in Queensland's south-west, inundating multiple homes.
Many residents of the town had already left their homes as waters rushed south.
They evacuated to the airport terminal, the highest ground in the town.
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Multiple residents have left their homes. 9News
It is unclear when the water level is expected to peak.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued multiple major flood warnings, including for the Bulloo, Lower Warrego, Langlo, Paroo, Thomson, and Barcoo rivers, and Eyre and Cooper creeks.
The Bureau has warned floods are likely to be the highest in the area for more than 50 years, since the historic devastation of 1974.
The federal and state governments have also opened up the coffers to offer disaster relief funding to the region.
The Barcoo, Boulia, Bulloo, Diamantina, Longreach, Quilpie, and Winton councils are all eligible for the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to aid recovery and clean-up.
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