Officials said two men were found to have died in the floodwaters that prompted widespread evacuations in the Australian city of Townsville on Tuesday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The two were found near a park after the "once in a century" flood hit the Queensland area, though police did not confirm if the victims were two men, aged 21 and 23, who were wanted for an alleged break-in.
The pair was last seen early yesterday morning so officials were concerned they were swept away by the rising water.
Emergency crews moved dozens of people to higher ground on Monday, including one man who was stranded on the roof of his car in the suburbs of Townsville.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service crews were called dozens of times to help people in the town of Bluewater after rainfall caused flash flooding in the suburb of Townsville, with 1.8 meters of rain measured over the past several days.
Some residents were able to return to their houses on Tuesday described finding their belongings scattered and ruined by the muddy water.
Gwen Cooms of Townsville said several things she lost can't be replaced.
"A washing machine and a dryer probably, you can buy that again can't you. But the thing I worry about is photos that you can't replace," she said. "I lost a little girl when she was three and a half and I can't replace that photo. So it's pretty sad."
Another resident Michael Nieminen said: "We had another lot of flash flooding come through, we had water come right up in the back yard again, similar to last week, not as high luckily but a lot of rain and a lot of water upstream."
"It's really quiet here at the moment because everyone is just that tired because everyone's been cleaning for the last few days trying to pick up the pieces. Especially the poor people that had their houses flooded."
“Experts are still predicting rain and thunderstorms with the potential of up to 100mm of rain per day for the next few days,” Townsville mayor Jenny Hill said.
“We are asking everyone to stay away from flooded houses and roads for the time being because there are a number of health and safety risks. Even if the rain slows, there is still a danger of flooding and rising water going back into homes.”
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said the monsoon trough will be active throughout the week which still has a risk of more flash flooding.
"So there is an end in sight but we're expecting further periods of heavy rainfall, some of it very heavy, about the north-east tropics for the next few days between about Cardwell and Mackay," forecaster Richard Wardle said.
"With that, we expect to see more episodes of that real intense heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding," especially for those near larger river systems.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said thousands of homes could have flooding issues this week.
"If I was to say several hundred I could get that wrong, it might be thousands," she said. "Particularly when you get the aerial shots and you go into the suburbs that are affected it's easily hundreds and it could be thousands ... I couldn't give you an accurate figure at this stage."
Nearly 1,000 people from Townsville were evacuated and taking up temporary residence in evacuation centers nearby.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited Townsville to meet with residents and tour the flooded area.
"I mean these were their dream homes, they've come and they've built them ... and a year down the track they're facing this," Morrison said, noting the recovery effort would be difficult.
"People are rallying around and that's fantastic. But in the next day it's the shock as people come back into their homes and that's when they're going to need emotional support from friends and family and their community."
When Morrison was asked about the effect of climate change and the "unprecedented" weather event, he said he was "not focused on politics" during his visit.
“My thinking is the support for Townsville people,” Morrison said. “I’m not engaging in broader policy debates today. I’m engaging in the needs of people here on the ground, people in evacuation centres, with some trepidation going back into their homes and finding what they’re going to find. That’s what I’m focused on today, not politics."
"We're in a difficult time, particularly in Townsville we're in response mode. It's not safe to go into those homes, it's not safe to go into floodwaters," said State Disaster Coordinator Bob Gee .
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
Photo:
AP / Dan Peled/AAP
