Truckie stuck on roof among dozens rescued in flood, with Brisbane storms possible

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A man standing on the roof of his truck as rapidly rising floodwater reached the windows was one of dozens rescued in a single town since ex-cyclone Koji made landfall in Queensland.

The weather system crossed the coast between Ayr and Bowen about 10am on Sunday, just after being downgraded from a category 1 cyclone.

Regions west of the coast have been inundated, with up to 200 millimetres falling in the worst-hit areas and more rain expected.

About 2.30am on Tuesday, a man driving a truck on the Gregory Highway near Clermont became trapped, with a swift-water emergency crew called to the scene.

Another vehicle with two men inside was found nearby by emergency teams, and the trio was rescued just as both vehicles became submerged.

Thunderstorms as far south as Brisbane remained possible, but predictions from the Bureau of Meteorology the River City could be soaked all week were downgraded by Monday night.

Up to 100 homes in Clermont, west of Rockhampton, were inundated by floodwater by Monday.

On Monday afternoon nine people – four adults and five children – were rescued by a private helicopter on Fraser Lane in Clermont, and two others were recovered by the SES on Old Showgrounds Road.

At least nine other people in the area were rescued from vehicles and homes that day, and up to 100 homes were flooded.

Emergency teams were told floodwater would subside slowly, because of the saturation of the wider region.

Daniel Hayes from the Bureau of Meteorology said storms remained possible in the areas already hardest hit, and could drift as far south as Brisbane for the remainder of the week.

Emergency teams were told floodwater in Clermont would subside slowly, due to the complete saturation of the wider region after ex-cyclone Koji moved inland.

“There is a potential we could see severe storms over those central parts that have already seen a significant amount of rainfall,” he said.

“There’s a possibility we could see some thunderstorms extending into the south-east, including around Brisbane and down to the Gold Coast … it’ll be much more isolated if we do see them, and not likely to produce as heavy rainfall.”

In the state’s north, almost 50,000 cattle had been lost and that number was expected to rise, Premier David Crisafulli told reporters.

“These are early days,” he said.

Flooding in the suburbs of Clermont, west of Rockhampton, on Monday.

“As graziers find the time and courage to fill out the forms, those losses are going to increase.”

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