Residents have been rescued through helicopter winches as the Queensland town was flooded due to the highest level of rainfall.
This deluge, as the water authorities call it is the wettest day in the town for at least 110 years and it only took a few hours to fall overwhelming creeks, roads and drainage systems in the area reported.
According to emergency services there was no time to prepare for the rapid rise of floodwaters due to the intensity of the rains.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services has confirmed that several helicopter rescue missions were conducted as a result of the inability of ground crews to access stranded individuals.
A number of individuals were lifted from rooftops as well as cars due to floodwater blocking access routes. At least no deaths had been recorded as of late afternoon.
The local council has confirmed that homes and businesses had taken significant water damage with homes being inundated above the level of the flooring.
Dozens of residents had to relocate to the homes of friends and relatives or evacuation shelters that had been set up in other local towns.
Cleanup efforts by the local council began as water began to recede. The Bureau of Meteorology described this rainfall event as very unusual in its extent and intensity.
It was reported that while it is common for northern Queensland to receive heavy rain during its wet season it was unprecedented in terms of the amount that fell in one day.
Flood warnings stayed current in many catchments where moderate rain was still expected.
Queensland Police asked people to avoid traveling when possible and to follow road closure notices, as several cars had been washed away from flooded roads before.
Power providers were working to restore power after the adjacent sub station had been flooded which led to the area being left without power and cellular reception.
The state government has made disaster assistance programs operational for the area which would help the eligible residents apply for emergency grants once the immediate threat has been overcome.
The Premier has stated that the emphasis was on safety rescue, with assistance to follow later.
It is expected that the authorities will examine the response of the flood situation as soon as the emergency has passed.
For the meantime, the public is expected to exercise vigilance as the cleaning process has begun.
The presence of contaminated water and structural power lines has been announced as a concern.
There are expected to be further updates as the initial assessments of the damage continue with weather conditions being taken into account.
