Crocodile emerges from floodwaters to terrify mum and kids in Queensland backyard
A woman is warning others after a terrifying encounter with a crocodile in Queensland floodwaters.
Ms Kraaz was clearing her property in Ingham, about 100km north of Townsville, on Monday when the three-metre crocodile lunged out of the water three times with its jaw wide open.
“It gave me a heart attack,” she told Yahoo7 News.
“The kids screamed and ran inside.”
Ms Kraaz said she and her three children were about two metres away from the croc.
“This guy just tried to have a go at us,” she wrote on Facebook.
She said it was a good reminder of what could be lurking in floodwaters.
“You can’t see it in the water, we wouldn’t have had a clue it was there. It was obviously watching us,” she told Yahoo7 News.
“You don’t know how many are there.”
Many commented saying they had also seen crocodiles near their homes.
“We got one stalking home in Macknade,” one said on Facebook.
Another posted a different photo of a crocodile lurking on the surface of floodwaters .
“Nice thing to find in your backyard,” one said.
The once-in-a-century floods in Townsville have turned streets into rivers and forced thousands to abandon their homes in Queensland.
Townsville residents have been warned to stay out of the floodwaters due to recent crocodile and snake sightings around the town, including one croc that washed up in a driveway in the residential neighbourhood of Mundingburra.
A snake turned up in a supermarket in Cairns looking for drier ground.
A Townsville father made light of the situation, leaving his family in stitches after wrestling an inflatable croc in floodwaters.
Scott Munro’s wife filmed the encounter and posted it on Facebook, which has had more than 1600 views.
Townsville damage bill reaches $124 million
Almost 1000 Townsville homes have suffered severe flood damage and 252 of them are uninhabitable, with the recovery bill now standing at $124 million.
The Insurance Council of Australia says the bill will continue to rise, as people return to sodden homes and businesses.
As Townsville cleans up, floodwaters are sweeping across west and northwest Queensland, with drought-hit graziers losing thousands of head of cattle.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says authorities are scrambling to find emergency accommodation for Townsville families who face weeks or months out of their homes.
“In relation to damage assessments in the Townsville area, 1480 have been done to date. Of these, 738 are quite severely damaged and 252 are completely uninhabitable,” she told reporters on Thursday.
“That is sad news for families.”
Some Townsville schools have also suffered severe structural damage, with assessments continuing at those sites.
About 200 people remain in evacuation centres and 7800 properties are still without power in the city.
“As of 10am today, insurers have received 10,064 claims, with insurance losses estimated at $124 million,” the insurance council’s Campbell Fuller told AAP on Thursday.
He also warned scammers were active in Townsville, with fake tradies going door to door offering building inspections and repairs for cash before taking the money and running.
There have been more than 16,000 claims for personal hardship assistance with more than $1.9 million paid out so far.
with AAP
