Source : Perth Now news
Three teenage girls who had attempted to swim in floodwaters were found clinging to a partially-submerged tree, and rescued in far north Queensland on Sunday, after rain lashed the nation’s north.
While some regions copped up to 340mm of rainfall within just a six-hour period, wet weather in the eastern state has finally begun to ease in the countdown to Christmas.
Multiple emergency crews were called after three girls sought refuge in the tree located in the flooded Barron River near Mareeba.
“There were three of them in the centre of the river hanging on to a tree about 15m out (from the river bank),” a Queensland Fire Department spokesperson said.
The girls — aged 13 and 14 — are believed to have been part of a group of children who had been swimming in the floodwaters.
They clung to the tree for almost two hours before they were rescued about 7pm.
It marked the third water rescue in a wet couple of days in the rain-hit state.
Emergency crews were called to Granite Creek near Cairns on Saturday night, finding a 65-year-old man and his dog on the roof of a truck stuck in floodwaters.
The man was later taken to hospital to be assessed.
Earlier, a 45-year-old man was rescued, and then fined for getting himself into the dangerous situation.
His vehicle had become stuck in floodwaters near Bundaberg north of Brisbane on Thursday night.
“After checking he was okay, police determined the man had driven past multiple road signs before running into trouble,” a police statement said.
He was fined $838 and lost six demerit points for disobeying road access signs and driving without due care and attention.
“You cannot drive into floodwaters with the mindset of ‘it’ll be all right’,” Senior Sergeant Derek Garner said.
“Poor decisions can put your life, your family’s lives and emergency services’ lives at risk every time you decide to risk it.”
Roads were cut off during a wet week, capped by storms and intense rainfall across the tropical coast and Tablelands late on Sunday.
Mount Aunt near Mareeba was one of the worst affected, recording 156mm.
The north Queensland region spanning Ingham to Proserpine recorded seven day rainfall totals ranging from 300mm to 500mm by Monday morning.
At one stage, the deluge triggered flood warnings for 10 rivers across the state.
However, only a couple of warnings remained on Monday after the tropical low and coastal trough that brought widespread rainfall moved offshore.
Holiday-makers are set to return with flooded roads reopening, including critical sections of the major arterial Bruce Hwy.
A dry and sunny day is forecast across the majority of Queensland on Tuesday.
However, the Bureau of Meteorology said north of Cairns may receive isolated showers with the risk of a storm.
Isolated showers in Queensland’s central and north coast with possible storms inland have been forecast for Christmas Day.
