Brisbane braces itself for flooding

Photo / Central Queensland News

The devastating Queensland floods are now threatening the state's largest city, Brisbane.

Residents of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast have been warned to prepare for more heavy rain and possible flooding.

The Brisbane City Council is offering sandbags to residents in low-lying parts of the city, with the bureau saying heavy overnight falls will be followed by more throughout the day today.

Emergency Services Queensland (EMQ) regional director Warren Bridson said residents in major population centres in the southeast were not immune to the effects of the flooding, and people in at-risk areas should have a flood plan.

"This season has seen very severe weather events and heavy rain and we implore the community to listen to messages and listen to warnings," he told the ABC.

He said so much rain had fallen in many areas that it would not take much to cause big problems.

Meanwhile, businesses in the southeastern Queensland city of Gympie are already going under, amid fears up to 80 properties could be inundated as the Mary River rises.

At Dalby, west of Brisbane, residents in at-risk areas have been told to evacuate with the Myall Creek expected to again flood homes after an overnight deluge.

There's no end in sight to the multi-billion dollar crisis, with communities in the southeastern corner of Australia now feeling the brunt of a disaster that's already hit central and southern regions hard.

Acting Gympie Regional Mayor Tony Perrett fears up to 80 homes and businesses could go under, with the Mary River expected to rise to a major flood level of 20 metres, and possibly higher.

This morning, about a dozen businesses just off Mary Street were already inundated and Mr Perrett says up to 40 businesses and the same number of houses are at risk of going under.

The Mary River catchment saw a massive dumping of .32 of a metre (322mm) in the 24 hours to 7am (NZT) on Monday.

The Bureau of Meteorology expects the river to rise beyond the major flood level of 17 metres on Monday morning, reaching up to 20 metres overnight into Tuesday.

It could go even higher than that, the bureau says. Gympie's s last major flood was in 1999, when the river got to 21.9 metres.

Mr Perrett said police would be going door to door, warning residents in at-risk areas that they might need to get out.

"If it looks like getting to be a life-threatening situation somewhere, we'll certainly get people out," he told the ABC.

He urged people not to try to travel to Gympie, saying the Bruce Highway was cut to the north and south.

At Dalby, fed-up residents are again preparing to evacuate their homes, with the Myall Creek expected to peak at 3.5 metres by midday, a level that could threaten 100 homes and businesses.

That height was last seen just two weeks ago, when more than 100 properties were inundated.

The Department of Community Safety today issued an emergency alert for major floods in the town.

"Concerned residents should evacuate to family, friends or the evacuation centre," it said.

The Dalby Agricultural College is prepared to take in evacuees.

Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown said the town was well prepared but residents were sick and tired of the drama.

"I think people have just about had enough of it," he told ABC Radio.

He said floodwaters had become a normal sight in the community but said people must remain vigilant and stay out of the dirty tide.

"We can rebuild infrastructure, we certainly can't rebuild lives," he said.

A severe weather warning was issued on Monday morning for flash flooding and worsening river floods along the southeastern coast, southern parts of Wide Bay and the Burnett and eastern parts of the Darling Downs and Granite Belt districts.

The deluge across the southeastern corner has hit power supplies hard.

Energex crews are working to restore power to about 3200 homes and businesses still affected by the heavy rain.

Power was restored to an additional 9000 customers overnight.

The worst affected areas are around Gympie, the Mary Valley, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and around Caboolture, where flooding and heavy rainfall are preventing crews from getting access to network faults, Energex said.

- AAP