January 17, 2008 - 11:17PM
Residents of the southern Queensland town of Charleville are waiting nervously for the nearby Warrego River to peak, as the damage bill from the state's floods topped $25 million.
Murweh Shire mayor Mark O'Brien said many of the town's residents feared a repeat of the 1990 and 1997 floods.
"We are very watchful because if the rain falls as the bureau says it might, that will create a real problem for us," Mr O'Brien said.
"I was here in 1990 and in 1997, when we had the two big floods of recent times, and we all get nervous."
Overnight, a stream known as Bradleys Gully, which runs through the middle of the town, sent floodwaters through nearby homes and businesses.
Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) spokesman Jon Hall said 15 homes were forcibly evacuated and more residents had voluntarily left their homes.
They were now sheltering with friends and family in the town or at the Charleville Neighbourhood Centre and local showgrounds.
But winds of up to 90km/h and heavy rain on Thursday night were making conditions difficult.
Extra flood boats had been transported by road from Clifton and Goondiwindi and another four boats had been taken to Roma and could be brought to Charleville, if necessary, Mr Hall said.
Queensland Health was making preparations to evacuate Charleville Hospital patients to Roma or Toowoomba hospitals by plane should the need arise.
Further north at Longreach, the Thomson River was expected to peak on Friday afternoon below levels that would cause the town to be inundated.
In the meantime, a helicopter had been called in to drop medical supplies to a flood-bound property near Aramac, north-west of Longreach, Mr Hall said.
At Emerald, in central Queensland, many roads were cut and one home was flooded.
A car was swept off a causeway on the Gregory Highway into Gordonstone Creek, but the driver managed to free himself from his vehicle and get out of the creek.
All sections of the Carnarvon National Park in central Queensland have been closed by flood waters, with road and track damage likely to block access for some weeks or even months.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service District Manager James Newman said it could take staff some time after floodwaters subside to assess the damage.
Acting Emergency Services Minister Andrew Fraser said half the state, or 40 shires, was now eligible for joint federal and state disaster relief assistance.
"Early estimates of damage to public infrastructure in north and western Queensland as a result of the monsoonal low now exceed $25 million," Mr Fraser said.
Assistance was available for sporting and not-for-profit community organisations to restore assets to a pre-disaster standard, with loans of $100,000 and grants of $5000.
Personal hardship grants were $160 per person and up to $740 per family.
Mr Hall later said the people evacuated from 15 Charleville homes had been allowed to return to their properties after the Bradleys Gully flood level stabilised.
He said floodwaters had cut the main roads west from Charleville to Quilpie and Adavale, as well as the Mitchell Highway, that heads south of the town.
Roads from Charleville to the east remained open, he said.
Monsoonal rains in Queensland, Australia have caused massive flooding over two thirds of the state, and led Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts to declare the town of Emerald a disaster zone.

The floods, which first hit the north part of the state a week ago, have since spread as far south as Charleville, where they have been compared to the floods which struck the town in 1990 and 1997, and stand in stark comparison to the drought that has plagued the area since 2003. Authorities believe that temporary floodbanks, erected near the town, will hold back the waters.

More than 2,000 people have evacuated from Emerald, and more than 200 homes are on standby to evacuate. According to Acting Mayor Kerry Hayes, "the shopping centres are basically short of bottled water, bread and milk obviously and a lot of baby necessities", which will be brought in by rail as the town is currently cut off by road.

The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, who visited Charleville, has pledged federal support during the disaster. Damage from the floods is predicted to be as high as $A1 billion.