Flood-ravaged north Queensland communities will have the direct attention of the state government in coming days as two ministers and a recovery chief head to the region to help get them back on their feet.
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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has appointed a state recovery coordinator and will send two members of her cabinet to the disaster zone to ensure the clean up runs smoothly.
Major damage to roads, bridges and other vital infrastructure is expected to emerge over coming days as floodwaters subside.
But Queensland's flood emergency might not be over.
Authorities are closely watching a low pressure system in the Coral Sea, which could develop into a cyclone later this week and deliver another drenching in some parts of the state.
"At this stage, it's expected the weather will be Mackay south. So those communities that have been impacted should not see the harshest impact from that weather from the Coral Sea," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Monday.
About a third of Queensland's local government areas have been affected by flooding.
Queensland Reconstruction Authority chief Brendan Moon will act as state recovery coordinator, liaising with flood-affected councils across the state.
He will head to Ingham, where floodwaters inundated hundreds of homes and businesses, and he'll be joined by Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford and Communities Minister Coralee O'Rourke.
The premier, who visited Ingham on Sunday, said recent flood mitigation work had prevented a far more serious flood in the town.
"Some of those resilience measures we put in place actually meant the water was two feet lower," she said.
Any further work would need to be proposed by the local council, she said.
Innisfail, Tully and surrounding communities have also been affected, and the premier reassured people they will get the help they need.
Communities that draw from the Tully water system are being advised to boil drinking water until further notice, and people are being warned to stay out of the water.
"Not only are there snakes, not only are there sharks - bull sharks - but there are crocodiles," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Meanwhile, police are carrying out extra patrols to guard against opportunistic criminals.
"Patrols will be conducted in an attempt to prevent any person from looting or whatever," Senior Sergeant Joe Mathieson told the ABC.
Australian Associated Press
