Rockhampton poised for surge

BRISBANE - Sodden Queensland cities and towns have entered recovery mode, while others are still bracing for swollen rivers to peak and there is still a long way to go.

Emergency service officials held a disaster management meeting in Brisbane yesterday.

Acting commissioner Alistair Dawson said after the briefing that Queensland could be flood-affected for a month.

"Roughly 1000 people have been displaced [living in evacuation centres] across the state," he said.

"The flood-affected area is as big as NSW.

"It's hard to make the call that the worst is behind us.

"It's a unique event, parts of the state are still in response mode while others are in recovery. I think we're in the middle of the event."

State Emergency Services Queensland spokesman Warren Brisdon said fatigue was becoming a major issue for emergency services crews.

"We're dealing with fatigue management, some of the [crews] have been at this since before Christmas, non-stop," he said.

Forty SES personnel would be sent from Victoria and 20 from NSW at staggered intervals, he said.

"We're bringing some teams up from Victoria to assist at Emerald and the state centre, we also have some flood experts coming up from NSW, who will go into Rockhampton," he said.

Brisdon said volunteers from non-flood zones such as Cairns and the Sunshine Coast would help relieve tired crews.

Police are re-emphasising safety warnings after a 41-year-old Mt Isa woman drowned when her vehicle was swept into a river in northwest Queensland.

"We're just grateful there weren't more casualties ... we're focused on preventing any more," Dawson said.

He gave an overview of property damage and the number of displaced people across the 22 flood-affected towns and cities.

At Rockhampton, which is expecting its flood peak tomorrow, 1000 homes had water through the yards and 1340 properties and businesses were affected yesterday, Dawson said.

"Rockhampton will hold near to its peak until mid-January," he said.

Almost 30 people were staying at the evacuation centre at Rockhampton.

Meanwhile, the situation is easing in Emerald, with water levels receding and the city entering recovery mode.

Dawson said the numbers at the evacuation centres had dipped slightly to 354, while 1600 had self-evacuated.

He said 1000 Emerald homes had water inundation and 3000 had water in their yards.

About 200 businesses were waterlogged and a further 120 surrounded by water.

He said people remained evacuated from Theodore in central Queensland and Condamine in the state's south.

Assistant commissioner Brett Pointing said police were patrolling evacuated areas.

"We're yet to have a confirmed case of looting in Queensland but it is an area of risk," he said.

He said five extra officers had been sent to Theodore and Condamine to combat any threat.

Twenty extra police were deployed to Emerald last week to monitor the looting threat, after problems in 2008.

At Dalby, trucks are transporting water to the town, Dawson said.

"We are still asking residents to be very judicious in their use of water to assist the town through this challenging time," he said. Alpha, Jericho and Chinchilla were in recovery mode, he said.

Flood water had peaked at Surat, two people had self-evacuated and three homes were affected.

St George and its satellite towns were bracing for another round of flooding this week, 10 months after a once-in-a-century flood hit last year.

"St George is expected to reach 1991 levels," Dawson said. "It's a very resilient community."

- AAP