Conditions are starting to ease across Townsville but the risk of dangerous flooding remains in some areas of North Queensland.
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00:00We're here at the Aplin Weir in Townsville on the Ross River.
00:06So the Ross River was the river that there was all the concern about this morning.
00:10It was going to peak and that's why there were all these suburbs downstream from here
00:15which have been evacuated or parts of those suburbs and that was thousands of people.
00:20The blessing over the last 24 hours is that there's been relatively little rain in Townsville
00:28and when I say relatively, it's still 50mm of rain but that meant that it was possible
00:35for the dam to release a lot of the capacity and it was at 176% capacity, it's down now
00:42to 166%.
00:44So they've been able to release all this water and the good news is that this is actually
00:50at moderate level now so authorities are really optimistic about what's going to happen with
00:57those suburbs downstream.
00:58We've heard so much about these black zones over the last several days, here's how the
01:04Premier described that when I spoke to him a short time ago.
01:07The weather last night was really kind for Townsville, incredibly so, so the rainfall
01:11predictions were well under what they could have been and as a result you've got a whole
01:15heap of people who may just have dodged a bullet.
01:18And so the Premier was also saying that he is optimistic that people in those evacuation
01:24zones may well be allowed to return home today because of these conditions.
01:29It's not assured and authorities are still saying that people need to keep out of those
01:32black zones but just that optimism about what's happening with those suburbs was joy to the
01:40ears of so many people who have evacuated and some of those who spent the last several
01:44days in evacuation centres.
01:46I spoke to Linda a little earlier to get her reaction on that news and she was happy but
01:54also a bit concerned about what the reaction would be like from her cats when she got home.
02:00I've been just so anxious, I had to leave my pets.
02:04I'd left enough water and kitten food but this entire time I've just got tears just
02:16waiting to happen.
02:17If I can go back I've got chills but I'm expecting cats going...
02:22I'm sure they'll wrap you in their arms with love.
02:27I'm sure they'll wrap me in their arms with claws demanding to know where on earth I've been.
02:36Well I hope Linda can get home and there must be so many other people in similar situations
02:40to her.
02:41And Jo, what's the situation in other parts of the region up there in North Queensland?
02:47The hardest hit areas are around Ingham and Cardwell and the many little communities around
02:54there as well.
02:55Speaking to the Premier this morning he said we haven't really heard how many homes and
03:01businesses they think water has gone through but the Premier this morning when I was talking
03:05to him says he thinks it's well over 100 and that's just in Ingham.
03:11And so we've heard of really challenging situations in Cardwell as well and other communities
03:17around there but here's what the Premier this morning had to say about that situation in
03:22Ingham.
03:23I've seen images of water in businesses that never in my wildest dreams thought I'd see
03:27water in shops there in the high part of town.
03:30I've spoken with friends who've had homes, businesses and their farm devastated.
03:37It is a really tight knit community, they've lost one of their own, somebody passed away
03:41a couple of days ago.
03:43It's a really difficult time.
03:45And so it will continue to be a really challenging situation in that area to the north of Townsville.
03:51There's also that bridge that's being washed out on the main route north on the Bruce Highway.
03:58The ADF is involved in the recovery effort now and one of the ADF spokesmen was speaking
04:04a little earlier and mentioning about their ability to build temporary bridges.
04:09Maybe that could be a solution to that key route being cut for the moment, that Bruce
04:15Highway.
04:16But attention now slowly turning towards support and recovery and the effort to get food and
04:23fuel into these communities as well.