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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2017/mar/30/ex-cyclone-debbie-to-hit-south-east-queensland-with-flash-flooding-expected-live
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| Ex-cyclone Debbie: scores rescued from floodwaters around Mackay – live | Ex-cyclone Debbie: scores rescued from floodwaters around Mackay – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.57am BST | |
| 04:57 | |
| Malcolm Turnbull has arrived back in Canberra after his visit to cyclone-affected areas on the north Queensland coast. Turnbull spoke of Cyclone Debbie in question time, praising emergency services and the military, which he said had the largest pre-deployment for a natural disaster in its history. | |
| Turnbull said his visit had reinforced the importance of cyclone-resistant structures. | |
| “I think the leader of the opposition and I were both very impressed, as was the member for Dawson, by the way in which ... there was relatively limited damage to many structures built after 1985,” he said. | |
| “It is quite clear that the building standards in recent years have made a very big difference.” | |
| Turnbull praised the resilience of residents in north Queensland. | |
| “I have to say, Mr Speaker, nature flicks her worst at us again and again, and north Queensland feels the brunt of that again and again,” he said. | |
| “But when Australians pull together, when they work together in a common cause, they can tackle anything.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 5.00am BST | |
| 4.48am BST | |
| 04:48 | |
| South-east Queensland may receive 400mm of rainfall in 24 hours | |
| South-east Queensland could experience rainfall of 400mm in 24 hours. The rainfall is set to intensify throughout the afternoon and into Thursday night. | |
| Queensland Police commissioner, Ian Stewart, was wary of predicting rainfall in any single area. | |
| “I think we’ve got to be careful that we’re not sending a message that you might have 400 or 500mm of rain in a particular area. It could actually happen everywhere,” Stewart said. | |
| Updated | |
| at 4.58am BST | |
| 4.39am BST | |
| 04:39 | |
| Some good news from the Sunshine Coast. We mentioned earlier a family was trapped in their home by floodwaters at Tanawha. They have now been rescued, and have been taken to dry land on an inflatable raft. | |
| TANAWHA (Sunshine Coast): Family rescued from flooded home. Inflatable raft making its way to dry land now. | |
| 4.34am BST | |
| 04:34 | |
| Parts of Murwillumbah, in northern NSW, are now flooded. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall, destructive winds, abnormally high tides, and damaging surf across the Northern Rivers region, and parts of the parts of the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan, North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands Forecast districts. | |
| 4.27am BST | |
| 04:27 | |
| Storm force winds are likely to develop over coastal waters off the southern Queensland coast on Friday. Check https://t.co/8QnIc6Tglp pic.twitter.com/RRDgsXXRav | |
| 4.18am BST | 4.18am BST |
| 04:18 | 04:18 |
| Guests stranded at the Daydream Island resort are expected to be evacuated via ferry to Hamilton Island or the Port of Airlie by 2pm local time. Hamilton Island airport is already struggling to accommodate thousands of guests wanting to get off the island, and is warning that not everyone will be able to leave today. | Guests stranded at the Daydream Island resort are expected to be evacuated via ferry to Hamilton Island or the Port of Airlie by 2pm local time. Hamilton Island airport is already struggling to accommodate thousands of guests wanting to get off the island, and is warning that not everyone will be able to leave today. |
| 2 vessels evacuating all guests to either Hamilton Island or the Port of Airlie. Should be completed by 2pm today #TCDebbie #cyclonedebbie | 2 vessels evacuating all guests to either Hamilton Island or the Port of Airlie. Should be completed by 2pm today #TCDebbie #cyclonedebbie |
| 4.07am BST | 4.07am BST |
| 04:07 | 04:07 |
| The heaviest of the rainfall is currently taking place in parts of Wide Bay, near Bundaberg, and areas south of Brisbane, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. | The heaviest of the rainfall is currently taking place in parts of Wide Bay, near Bundaberg, and areas south of Brisbane, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. |
| The Gold Coast seaway observation station has recorded 105mm so far. | The Gold Coast seaway observation station has recorded 105mm so far. |
| Even the cows are seeking higher ground to try to stay out of the rain on the Gold Coast @abcgoldcoast @abcnews pic.twitter.com/DmWmPdPDDV | Even the cows are seeking higher ground to try to stay out of the rain on the Gold Coast @abcgoldcoast @abcnews pic.twitter.com/DmWmPdPDDV |
| 3.59am BST | 3.59am BST |
| 03:59 | 03:59 |
| Energy minister, Mark Bailey, has posted pictures of destroyed electricity towers across north Queensland. Ergon Energy is working to restore power to more than 60,000 homes in the region, but warns it will take time, and priority will be given to critical infrastructure like hospitals, sewage plants, and supermarkets. | Energy minister, Mark Bailey, has posted pictures of destroyed electricity towers across north Queensland. Ergon Energy is working to restore power to more than 60,000 homes in the region, but warns it will take time, and priority will be given to critical infrastructure like hospitals, sewage plants, and supermarkets. |
| 10 NQ electricity towers folded like cardboard in #TCDebbie Pics just in from @powerlinkqld chopper doing damage assessments pic.twitter.com/3fNEWcgOwo | 10 NQ electricity towers folded like cardboard in #TCDebbie Pics just in from @powerlinkqld chopper doing damage assessments pic.twitter.com/3fNEWcgOwo |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.18am BST | at 4.18am BST |
| 3.53am BST | 3.53am BST |
| 03:53 | 03:53 |
| More images are emerging of the trail of destruction caused by Cyclone Debbie in the Whitsunday region. Here Helen Muller of Proserpine sits in the ruins of her double garage, which was built by her father. | More images are emerging of the trail of destruction caused by Cyclone Debbie in the Whitsunday region. Here Helen Muller of Proserpine sits in the ruins of her double garage, which was built by her father. |
| Debbie also ruined this factory in Proserpine. | Debbie also ruined this factory in Proserpine. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.55am BST | at 3.55am BST |
| 3.43am BST | 3.43am BST |
| 03:43 | 03:43 |
| A rescue operation is under way at Tanawha, on the Sunshine Coast, where two adults and four children are trapped in a flooded home. We’ll bring you more on that as soon as it comes to hand. | A rescue operation is under way at Tanawha, on the Sunshine Coast, where two adults and four children are trapped in a flooded home. We’ll bring you more on that as soon as it comes to hand. |
| TANAWHA (Sunshine Coast): Swiftwater rescuers on scene where 2 adults & 4 kids are trapped in flooded home. Rescue underway. | TANAWHA (Sunshine Coast): Swiftwater rescuers on scene where 2 adults & 4 kids are trapped in flooded home. Rescue underway. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.54am BST | at 3.54am BST |
| 3.41am BST | 3.41am BST |
| 03:41 | 03:41 |
| Queensland’s Fire and Emergency Services commissioner, Katarina Carroll, has spoken about the rescue of dozens of people trapped by floodwaters in towns around Mackay. | Queensland’s Fire and Emergency Services commissioner, Katarina Carroll, has spoken about the rescue of dozens of people trapped by floodwaters in towns around Mackay. |
| “I was just briefed some 30 minutes ago that the rescue is completed for both Eton as well as Homebush,” she told the ABC. “We had about 20 to 30 people at Eton and 40 at Homebush. | “I was just briefed some 30 minutes ago that the rescue is completed for both Eton as well as Homebush,” she told the ABC. “We had about 20 to 30 people at Eton and 40 at Homebush. |
| “Last night was certainly concerning for us for those two small towns. I’m very pleased with what the outcome is this morning.” | “Last night was certainly concerning for us for those two small towns. I’m very pleased with what the outcome is this morning.” |
| The weather was easing in Mackay, Carroll said, but movement was still “incredibly difficult”. | The weather was easing in Mackay, Carroll said, but movement was still “incredibly difficult”. |
| “We’re pleased with how the water rescues have gone. But now we’re getting into the real recovery stage of assessing the damage to all of the houses.” | “We’re pleased with how the water rescues have gone. But now we’re getting into the real recovery stage of assessing the damage to all of the houses.” |
| Power is still off in the Whitsunday region but emergency services are reaching people trapped on islands. Carroll warned the power would be off for some time. | Power is still off in the Whitsunday region but emergency services are reaching people trapped on islands. Carroll warned the power would be off for some time. |
| Daydream Island’s water shortage was being addressed, she said. | Daydream Island’s water shortage was being addressed, she said. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.52am BST | at 3.52am BST |
| 3.35am BST | 3.35am BST |
| 03:35 | 03:35 |
| The Nerang river on the Gold Coast is flooded. The major M1 highway remains flooded at Mudgeeraba. The Gold Coast Bulletin has put together a full list of road closures here. | The Nerang river on the Gold Coast is flooded. The major M1 highway remains flooded at Mudgeeraba. The Gold Coast Bulletin has put together a full list of road closures here. |
| @abcgoldcoast Nerang River, Sorrento. Gold Coast. pic.twitter.com/MQ7IKiXl6j | @abcgoldcoast Nerang River, Sorrento. Gold Coast. pic.twitter.com/MQ7IKiXl6j |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.38am BST | at 3.38am BST |
| 3.26am BST | 3.26am BST |
| 03:26 | 03:26 |
| The RACQ has already received 252 insurance claims after Cyclone Debbie. | The RACQ has already received 252 insurance claims after Cyclone Debbie. |
| The Insurance Council of Australia declared Debbie a catastrophe on Tuesday. The damage bill is expected to be significant. It was the worst cyclone to hit the region since Yasi in 2011. That cyclone resulted in $1.4bn in insurance claims. | The Insurance Council of Australia declared Debbie a catastrophe on Tuesday. The damage bill is expected to be significant. It was the worst cyclone to hit the region since Yasi in 2011. That cyclone resulted in $1.4bn in insurance claims. |
| Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, yesterday urged insurance companies to treat residents with decency and respect. | Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, yesterday urged insurance companies to treat residents with decency and respect. |
| “There are going to be a lot of people who are upset, who have had their family homes damaged, and they need to have someone friendly on the other end of that phone call,” she said. | “There are going to be a lot of people who are upset, who have had their family homes damaged, and they need to have someone friendly on the other end of that phone call,” she said. |
| “These are people who have had their lives turned upside down. So I would hope that they do the right thing.” | “These are people who have had their lives turned upside down. So I would hope that they do the right thing.” |
| We've had 252 cyclone, flood & storm claims this wk. Visit https://t.co/4vLu6ItOSx if you need to to make a claim. #RACQ #BigWet #TCDebbie pic.twitter.com/1cjhFUzd5V | We've had 252 cyclone, flood & storm claims this wk. Visit https://t.co/4vLu6ItOSx if you need to to make a claim. #RACQ #BigWet #TCDebbie pic.twitter.com/1cjhFUzd5V |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.28am BST | at 3.28am BST |