Kirrily mop up begins but heavy rain risk remains

Thousands of households remain without power after Cyclone Kirrily hit north Queensland. (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE)

Thousands of Townsville residents remain without power as northern Queensland begins to clean up following Tropical Cyclone Kirrily. 

Strong winds hit regions on Thursday evening along with rainfall totals between 100 and 150mm but minimal property damage was recorded.

About 66,000 customers experienced a power outage at the peak of the cyclone's crossing and 42,000 households remained without power on Saturday afternoon.

Ergon Energy deployed 600 restoration crews and said the focus would be on Townsville which had the majority of outages. 

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said power outages were also affecting phone networks and water supply for some 10,000 households.

He urged people affected to continue conserving water and know that crews were prioritising reconnection.

"Thankfully, we know of no loss of life and very minimal property damage at this stage," he told reporters on Saturday.

Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said residents within Townsville City Council and Burdekin Shire Council could apply for government hardship payments worth $180 per person up to $900 for a family of five or more to cover the costs of essentials as a result of loss of power requiring the disposal of spoilt food or medicines.

Other support measures were also available to eligible individuals in those areas to help make their homes safe and reconnect essential services such as electricity, water and sewerage.

People requiring immediate assistance can contact the recovery hotline on 1800 173 349.

The federal and state governments are also helping councils in Townsville, Burdekin, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, McKinlay and Richmond with clean-up and repair costs.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned remnants from the weather system would move slowly inland, bringing extreme moisture and heavy-to-intense rainfall.

Parts of northern Queensland could face up to 100mm of rain as the system lingers in the outback northwest of Longreach across the weekend, the bureau's senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.

"That's quite a short period to see quite a lot of rain come through so it may very quickly lead to flash-flooding that could cut off roads and access routes, turning them muddy and impassible," she said.

Parts of central and southern Queensland faced potential severe thunderstorms on Saturday with flood warnings for central west Queensland, parts of the Carpentaria and Cape York Peninsula.

A low-hanging power line and debris at Townsville
Prisoners from Townsville jail are being supervised to help the SES with the clean-up.

Severe storms are likely to lash southeast Queensland, bringing heavy to locally intense rain on Sunday.

The system's path becomes less clear from Monday and could potentially move west towards the Northern Territory, weaken and dissipate over inland Queensland or drift south into central Queensland.

People along the NSW mid-north coast, Northern Rivers, North West Slopes and Northern Tablelands are being warned of severe thunderstorms bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds.

Parts of northeast NSW are also expecting heavy to intense rainfall with dangerous flash flooding possible across northern ranges, slopes, plains, and the far northeast coast.

Emergency crews were called to help a group of people trapped in rising flood waters near Charters Towers on Friday night. 

Three off-road vehicles went recreational driving to view the effects of the storm but became stranded due to rising flood waters.

The cars held 14 people, including four children, and were stranded for a short time.

A local mustering helicopter airlifted the group to safety. 

Townsville police district disaster co-ordinator Chris Lawson said it was disappointing people were actively trying to enter floodwaters for recreation.

Hundreds of State Emergency Service volunteers are supporting locals while low-security prisoners from the Townsville Correctional Complex have also joined clean-up efforts.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store