After an anxious Monday night, North Burnett residents were relieved to hear by 12noon on Tuesday 10 March the flood threat had been reduced.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported that the flood threat was reducing as peaks in the Burnett River had been observed and the flood waters seemed to be receding.
On Tuesday, the Dimitrios Bridge on the Mundubbera-Durong Road was open to the traffic, and those who had evacuated their homes due to flood warnings were advised it should be safe to return home.
However, the North Burnett Regional Council reported, the Barambah Creek Bridge at Brian Pastures on the Burnett Highway was significantly inundated with flood waters.
Although the water has receded, at the time Burnett Today went to print, the bridge remained closed until it was inspected for damage by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. The community will be informed on the bridge’s status once the inspection is completed.
Melinda Jones, Chair of the Local Disaster Management Group and North Burnett Regional Council Deputy Mayor, gave an update late Monday evening.
“It’s been a torrid few days and particularly the last 36 hours with intensive rainfall and riverine flooding throughout the North Burnett,” she said.
“We’ve also seen a large number of road closures or sites with water across the road across the region.”
Cr Jones welcomed the ease of conditions late Monday.
“Although this does not mean we are out of the woods yet as intensive inflows from the Burnett River Catchment make their way into and along the river,” Cr Jones said.
On Monday afternoon two flood emergency alerts were issued by the North Burnett Regional Council.
Queensland Police Service stated on Monday that there was a possibility Gayndah may exceed major flood levels of 15 metres overnight, and Mundubbera may exceed major flood levels of 18 meters overnight.
“Councillors worked closely with the Queensland Police Service and door knocked residents at Mundubbera whose properties were at risk of inundation from flood levels of up to 19 metres, encouraging them to relocate for the evening,” Cr Jones said.
As a result evacuation centres were opened for those who needed to evacuate their properties at the Gayndah Community Hall and the Mundubbera Community Hall.
The Burnett River at Mundubbera was at 13.72m as of 1pm on Monday afternoon.
The Bureau reported that the Burnett River at Mundubbera peaked at 16.97m during Monday evening, wtih moderate flooding.
Comparatively, Mundubbera’s Burnett River reached historic highs of 18.82m in December 2010 and 23m in January 2013.
Meanwhile, over at Gayndah the Burnett River peaked at 14.30m overnight on Monday into Tuesday with moderate flooding.
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