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BRISBANE - Emergency services are this morning anxiously monitoring rising floodwaters amid hopes a temporary levee can save a central Queensland town.
The Fairbairn dam near the town of Emerald was overflowing by two metres and a key bridge in the town was expected to be breached at some point this morning.
Queensland Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said this morning authorities in Emerald were on stand-by, adding dozens of residents had also been evacuated overnight.
"Again, they're well-prepared. The local council and State Emergency Service train well for these events," he told the Nine Network.
"The Fairbairn dam is overflowing a little over two metres at this stage and the Vince Lester bridge in town is expected to be breached, probably within the next hour or so.
"Last night, we evacuated 40 people and doorknocked another small number as a precaution but again things are well in hand, we're just keeping people well informed and watching those floodwaters as they rise."
Mr Roberts said floodwaters around the south-western town of Charleville had been expected to reach six metres overnight but had by early this morning stopped short at around 5.85 metres.
"The floodwaters are still coming down from the feeder streams and are expected to peak later today," Mr Roberts said.
"The levee bank was erected late on Friday night and will protect the town if floodwaters rise above the six-metre level.
"We're keeping people informed. There's a little bit of concern, but we're well prepared for what the floodwaters will bring."
Mr Roberts said despite the flood crisis, there would still be benefits for the state once the waters receded.
"There is a lot of hardship that comes from these events, but also in many areas it's a bit of a godsend," he added.
"Once the waters recede, there will be good pasture and a lot of towns which were struggling for water supply, and farmers, will have that water supply that they need."
Mark O'Brien, mayor of Murweh, near Charleville, said the local community had faith the levee would hold but warned the worst could still be ahead.
"Since 1990, when we've had a couple of major floods here, we've been waiting to finish this levee bank so that it would protect the town," Mr O'Brien told the Nine Network.
"We were two weeks away from having it finished. There are a couple of gaps and of course this flood started. So, this temporary levee went up ... the whole community breathed a great big sigh of relief.
"Until the river goes down, you never really know what's going to happen. Every flood's different. In spite of the fact it's dropping just north of us - about four inches since midnight - that doesn't mean it is necessarily going to go down."
- AAP
