Queensland floods will have global impact - Premier

SYDNEY - The damage from the Queensland floods is so extensive it will affect the international economy, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says.

The state supplies half of the world's coking coal for steel manufacturing, Ms Bligh says.

"Seventy-five per cent of our mines are currently not operating because of this flood, so that's a massive impact on the international markets and the international manufacture of steel," she told the Seven network today.

She estimated that the impact of the floods would be felt for many weeks to come.

The rail line to Longreach was broken in several places, she said.

"This is the line that carries massive numbers of cattle to market, so the beef industry will be feeling that.

"Orchards and other primary producers in and around the Burnett and Rockhampton area will have had their crops devastated and will have to start over again," she said.

Some of these producers had already had a devastating flood earlier this year, so getting back on their feet would be a doubly hard task, she said.

The premier also warned that consumers around the country would feel the effects of the flooding.

Ms Bligh was set to hold an emergency cabinet meeting this morning to work out how best to deal with the disaster.

"Without doubt, this disaster is without precedent in its size and its scale here in Queensland," she said.

"And, equally, the recovery and the rebuilding effort will be without parallel."

Ms Bligh said rebuilding needed to start as soon as possible.

"We're not going to wait for the water to go down. We're putting in place a plan that would see roads assessed, buildings like schools ready and assessed so we can start the rebuilding effort even as we've got flood waters rising in some parts of the state," she said.

The disaster is far from over, as the town of St George braces itself for a flood that's expected to cut off its highway.

Ms Bligh said that Navy helicopters were in "pre-position" in case the town of St George needed supplies or people needed to be evacuated over the next couple of days.

"What I'm seeing in every community I visit is heartbreak, devastation and people are on the one hand very, very distressed by their own personal circumstances but equally out there lending a hand to their neighbours.

"These sorts of events bring communities together and I was out yesterday in a little town called Jericho and its neighbouring town Alpha. These are towns with less than three and four hundred people. They've had people from Barcaldine come down do a working bee, clean up the town," she said.

People were having to share houses with friends and family on higher ground for several weeks and this really tested people's friendships, but people were "rising to the challenge", she said.

- AAP