Not yet over: Major flood warnings remain as monsoon trough moves south

Hundreds of people remain holed up in evacuation centres across Townsville waiting for floodwaters to recede as North Queensland’s big wet rolls into its 12th day.

The one-in-100-year monsoonal deluge is far from over with the Bureau of Meteorology warning more heavy rain is likely from Palm Island, north of Townsville, south to Mackay on Wednesday.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll says it is impossible to know how many homes have gone under across north Queensland.

“It’s easily hundreds, it could be thousands,” she said on Tuesday, but added audit teams were being hampered by the enduring risk of flash floods with each new deluge.

The 12-day-old weather event has exhausted emergency service workers, who have carried out thousands of rescues since the flood crisis began.

More than 100 fresh police officers and nurses will begin flying into Townsville to relieve their local colleagues on Wednesday.

Their arrival comes as schools in the region begin reopening as the monsoon trough slowly pushes south.

The vigorous weather system has delivered disaster to Townsville and generated floods out west, with farmers around Cloncurry, McKinlay and Flinders shire reporting livestock losses.

The rain is not over yet, however, with the bureau saying six-hourly totals up to 200mm are likely into Wednesday in the warning area.

A severe weather warning has also been issued for the west coast of Cape York Peninsula where damaging winds and abnormally high tides are possible.

Major flood warnings also remain in place for the Ross, Haughton, Upper Burdekin, Flinders, Cloncurry and Leichhardt rivers.

An emergency alert was issued for Hughenden with the Flinders River expected to cause flooding on the north side.

Twelve Townsville State schools will also reopen today after the rising floodwaters made it too dangerous to attend.

Parents are advised to check with Independent schools to determine their status.

Men may have been sucked into storm drain

Meanwhile an investigation has been launched into the conduct of police officers in the lead-up to the deaths of two men in floodwaters in Townsville.

The bodies of the 23-year-old and 21-year-old were found about noon on Tuesday as the water receded in a large open stormwater drain running through Aitkenvale Park in Townsville.

The Ethical Standards Command will now investigate the police who had been searching for the men after an attempted break-in at a nearby Dan Murphy’s liquor store at 3am on Monday.

The police probe will be overseen by the state’s Crime and Misconduct Commission and a report will be prepared for the State Coroner.

A relative of the men, Kandace Wyles, told The Courier-Mail the family was devastated.

“They (the family) are not coping at all,” she told the newspaper.

“They were beautiful boys.”

A local resident, who did not want to be named, saw police recovering the bodies.

Man-sized pipes spill into the drain where the pair were found, he said.

“It’s a direct line from Dan Murphy’s to where they found them,” he told AAP.

“There’s a drain just outside Dan’s and if they were sucked in there, they never stood a chance.”

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