St George | 5 Feb 2012
Premier Anna Bligh and St George Mayor Donna Stewart have urged people living in St George to evacuate the town in the face of record flooding.
BOM experts indicate that the flooding is expected to reach the record of 13.4m at 6am Monday morning, with further rises with the potential to exceed 14m on Tuesday.
Whilst the extent of potential flooding in St George is still not certain, the volume of water approaching the town in the next 24 to 48 hours is significant, and the advice to evacuate is undertaken in the interest of public safety
Those who have vehicles are asked to leave as soon as possible and go to family and friends in other towns not affected by flooding.
A gathering point is being established at the Showgrounds with police and SES assisting. Police are registering the details of people evacuating at this point.
If you know someone who does not have transport, please ensure their safety, and, if possible, assist them to leave town.
For those who have nowhere to go, emergency evacuation facilities are being established at Dalby Showgrounds and PCYC.
Those people moving to the evacuation centre should bring:
- clothes and bedding
- copies of important personal documents
- medications, nappies, baby formula etc to last a number of days.
There will be facilities for pets at Dalby. Owners should ensure their pets are appropriately restrained. Please bring food and medications for your pets for a number of days.
Bus transport is being arranged for those who have no access to private transport. Passengers will be allowed to bring limited baggage.
People transported from St George by bus will be taken to the evacuation centres at Dalby. People are asked to register for evacuation assistance on 07 46208 888.
Queensland Health is in the process of evacuating nursing home and hospital patients are being evacuated to the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Family members should contact the facilities to establish where their loved ones will be moved to.
Efforts are being made with the RSPCA to care for pets and animals at St George that are unable to be moved from the town.
At this stage residents are being urged to consider evacuation on a voluntary basis. However, authorities are awaiting further technical advice about likely river peaks and may have to implement a compulsory evacuation of St George in the next 24 hours. A decision on this issue is expected later this afternoon.
Residents are advised that in the event of a compulsory evacuation, it will not be possible to take pets on air or bus transport.
Pets and animals will not be able to be transported by emergency aircraft.
Authorities are keeping a close watch on towns near St George and contingency planning is underway for those centres.
People in St George or on surrounding properties who need advice are asked to call 07 4620 8888.
Further advice will be provided as more information becomes available, including whether required evacuation will be activated.
