7 February 2019 - Update
The JBA event response team produced an initial report on 4 February with details of the flooding at time of writing (below). This is an event commentary as of 7 February 2019.
Rivers across Queensland continue to carry major flood warnings as record-breaking rainfall exacerbates flooding across the Australian state. JBA has produced an event footprint for one of the worst affected areas, the city of Townsville.
Since the start of the month, over 860mm of rain has fallen at Townsville’s Aero rain gauge, more than twice the average amount for February (Bureau of Meteorology, 2019a). Combined with the final two days of January, the rainfall totals exceed 1,120mm. In the last 48 hours alone, the observation station has recorded over 150mm of rainfall, but forecasts suggest the wet weather will ease in the coming days. However, the prolonged rainfall has exacerbated the flooding caused by officials being forced to open the floodgates of the Ross River Dam on 4 February 2019, effectively releasing eight Olympic swimming pools of water a minute into the city (ABC News, 2019). Moderate flood warnings remain in place on the Ross River, with residents aware that they may still experience flooding due to the rise in water levels.
Elsewhere, the Burdekin River has exceeded major levels several times in the last few days (Figure 1), and on the Upper Burdekin River, a major flood warning is still in place as river levels are expected to exceed 11m on Friday (Bureau of Meteorology, 2019b).
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) stated on 5 February that 3,500 claims had been lodged, amounting to AUD $45 million insured losses, but news reports at the time of writing suggest the figures have risen to over 8,000 and AUD $105 million respectively, which could compare to around 40% of the total insured losses from flood reported in 2018 (Insurance Council of Australia, 2019). News reports suggest that of the 1,500 homes assessed so far, 738 are severely damaged and 252 are uninhabitable (ABC News, 2019). Although commercial flood cover has been available for Townsville businesses since 2007, the ICA is concerned that it has not been purchased by a significant number of commercial policyholders.
To help with recovery efforts, the ICA has deployed a disaster recovery team to assist policyholders. Additionally, Queensland Government’s Community Recover Hubs have been set up across Townsville to help residents with emergency housing and support, including accessing mortgage relief and interest-free bond loans. Money is also being raised for residents affected through the Queensland Flood Appeal.
Such schemes will likely be welcomed by residents, as forecasts from the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology suggest showers and thunderstorms may continue across north Queensland for the next few days.
If you are interested in our flood footprint, estimating extents and depths of flooding across Townsville, please get in touch with our event response team.
