Crocodiles and deadly diseases are among some of the dangers lurking beneath the flood waters currently swamping Queensland’s far north.
There has been severe rainfall in the area around Cairns with more than 400mm falling in less than 24 hours in parts of the Tropical Coast and Hinterland on Thursday.
A woman spotted a huge crocodile just metres from the road as she made her way home from work in Ingham on Thursday night.
Crocodiles (pictured) and deadly diseases are among some of the dangers lurking beneath the flood waters currently swamping Queensland’s far north
People have been warned to stay out of flood waters across north Queensland due to the risk of deadly diseases
Far North Queensland has been clobbered with rain in the past few weeks with Kirrama Range getting 400mm on Thursday
The croc was seen on the bridge over Lottery Creek by Rhonda Brown and she posted on Facebook to warn fellow residents about the animal.
But it had disappeared on Friday morning when Ms Brown returned out to go to work.
She said she thought the croc had been injured after initially driving past it before realising what it was.
‘I saw it on way home from working at the hospital last night,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I was driving slow as I wasn’t sure if water was over the bridge. I went passed it and realised it was a croc. I reversed back to take a photo.
‘It looked like it had already been hit by something. It was still alive but I didn’t get too close. But on driving in this morning it had been moved or had got away.’
The town of Ingham (pictured) is severely flooded with 175 homes affected in the town, the fire service said
One person has died from the soil-borne disease melioidosis in the region since the start of the year, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service said.
‘While it might seem tempting to play in puddles, heavy rains across Far North Queensland are increasing the risk of exposure to soil-borne diseases so it’s important to stay out of muddy, flooded areas,’ the department said on Friday.
There had been six confirmed cases in 2018 of the disease while there was also a further nine of leptospirosis.
Emergency services have been called to 108 jobs and carried out a total of 17 rescues for people
Corinna Smith and her friend tried to make the most of the floods kicking back with a glass of white wine
The Mackay based Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) helicopter has flown north to assist evacuations
Both diseases have no vaccine and are caused by bacteria found in soil and muddy surface waters.
People can get infected when ‘skin abrasions or wounds come into contact with contaminated wet soil or water’, the health service warned.
The state’s health department added symptoms for both diseases include fever.
Doctors and emergency teams are now warning of new risks which could leave people at even greater risk of injury and even death.
Melioidosis can lead to coughs and difficulty breathing ‘and almost always result in hospitalisation’.
Skin infections or abscesses can also be a sign.
Leptospirosis symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and bloodshot eyes.
Doctors and emergency teams are warning about issues which could leave people at even greater risk of injury and even death
Most areas had seen between 100-200mm fall overnight on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said
The place with the highest rainfall on Thursday night was Kirrama Range which had 409mm while most areas had seen between 100-200mm fall overnight, Bruce Gunn Queensland state manager from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.
It is the extensive flood water which has led to the health warning issued by the state government and a disaster warning declared for Hinchinbrook.
Some people have been taking to the water in the floods but doctors have warned of the dangers
‘While it might seem tempting to play in puddles, heavy rains are increasing the risk of exposure to soil-borne diseases,’ the Queensland health service said
The declaration has granted extra powers to the emergency services in order to help keep people safe, Queensland fire and emergencies minister Craig Crawford said.
He added: ‘In a situation like this it is essential that our first responders can take actions to minimise and prevent loss of life, illness and injury, and property and environmental damage.’
Boil water alerts have been introduced for Cassowary Coast and also around Millaa Millaa on the Atherton Tablelands as residents were urged to check with their local council to see if they were affected.
Public health officials have also warned people to wear protective footwear outdoors, gloves in the garden and on farms, cover abrasions and sores with waterproof dressings, washing thoroughly after exposure to soil and muddy water.
Diabetics have also been warned to maintain ‘optimal foot care’ as residents were told to clean up the workplace and home to ‘minimise contact with animal urine’.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk led a news conference on Friday afternoon with representatives from police, fire service and the BoM.
Four flood warnings remain in place for Far North Queensland on Friday, weather forecasters have said.
This includes for the Herbert, Tully, Murray, Mulgrave, Russell and Johnston rivers.
Flood levels on the rivers are expected to ‘remain high for the next few days’, Victoria Dodds, Queensland flood manager for the BoM said.
Up to 200mm of rain was predicted in parts of the Cairns area and northern Queensland on Friday
Around 10 houses remain flooded in Innisfail, 175 in Ingham and 40 in Halifax, Queensland fire service commissioner Katrina Carroll said.
She added there had been 108 SES jobs in the last 24 hours most of which were to do with ‘tarping and sanbagging’, Ms Carroll said.
There with seven rescue operations in the far north region and 10 in the northern region around Ingham and Halifax.
‘Four of those is probably due to silly behaviour but some are genuine where people have started to have their houses inundated and we’ve moved them to a place of safety.
‘Please if it’s flooded, forget it. The roads are cut. If you don’t need to be, don’t be on the roads.
‘We have additional staff going into those areas regularly.’