Clean up starts as Qld flood threat shifts
Updated
Insurance companies have already started the big task of assessing and processing damage claims where flood waters have started to recede. (User submitted: Julie Gray)
Floodwaters are still threatening some homes and businesses in Queensland but authorities say the worst is over.
Two houses were evacuated at Theodore in central Queensland overnight and another 70 are still at risk of being inundated.
River levels are still rising slowly at Dirranbandi near the New South Wales border but levies are holding.
Peter Baddeley from the Bureau of Meteorology says flood levels at Thargomindah in the south west are steady at 6.5 metres.
"They'll be at high levels in some locations for all of this week and won't commence falling until next week," he said.
People in Charleville, Roma and St George are cleaning up as the floodwaters recede.
Floodwaters dropped about half a metre at St George overnight.
Levels at Cunnamulla have been steady at 10 metres since yesterday morning.
About 86 SES volunteers will leave those regions today and tomorrow and will be replaced by fresh helpers from south east Queensland.
Insurance companies have already started the big task of assessing and processing damage claims where flood waters have started to recede.
Premier Anna Bligh says she wants insurance assessors to be compassionate.
"Obviously there are some people who for one reason or another have not had any insurance," Ms Bligh said.
"That's very unfortunate and we'll do what we can to help them.
"I certainly hope that insurance companies don't take the opportunity to quibble over technicalities."
Ms Bligh says the floods will leave a big hole in the budget.
"We know already we have major damage to roads and highways and we have parts of railway lines that have been washed away," she said.
"Local governments have had some of their water facilities and sewerage systems damaged and we will be working with them in a partnership with the Federal Government under the disaster relief arrangements.
"We are talking hundreds of millions of dollars."
Government officials and representatives from Agforce are using helicopters to survey the extent of damage in areas where floodwaters have receded.
Ms Bligh says some of the damage has to be fixed as quickly as possible.
"What we do know will be good for those communities - and particularly good for the state and national economy - is giving those communities the capacity to get the benefit of all of this rain as quickly as possible," she said.
"The last thing we'd want is for the next growing season to be hampered by any damage to road and rail."
Paroo Shire Mayor Jo Sheppard says the south west town of Cunnamulla escaped yesterday's flood peak relatively unscathed.
"We've had a lot of extensive damage to our road network during this wet part of the year and the flooding so one of our priorities will be trying to get out and assess what damage has been done.
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Queensland Floods
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