Officials believe the worst has now passed, but with widespread damage, power outages, and at least one death, the recovery is expected to be slow and challenging. “It’s a disaster that’s going to test the resolve of people,” Queensland premier David Crisafulli told the ABC on Tuesday. While conditions are easing faster than predicted, he described the damage in towns like Ingham and Cardwell as “quite frankly incredible”, with homes, businesses, and farms inundated.

The floods, triggered by nearly two metres of rainfall since Saturday, forced thousands to flee, submerged critical infrastructure, and caused the partial collapse of the Bruce Highway, Queensland’s main transport route. A 63-year-old woman died in Ingham during a rescue attempt when a State Emergency Service dinghy capsized after hitting a submerged tree. In Townsville, earlier forecasts had warned that up to 2,000 homes could face severe flooding. However, the city avoided the worst-case scenario.

“We believe that the danger has passed,” said Andrew Robinson, chair of the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group. Premier Crisafulli added that the city had “dodged a bullet.”. Despite improving weather, large parts of northern Queensland remain without power. More than 8,000 properties are still in the dark, and damaged roads have made it difficult to reach some of the hardest-hit areas. The premier said the government was working with the army to deliver power generators to isolated communities. In Ingham, a local hospital, and some supermarket, and petrol station are back online.

Many of those evacuated started returning home, but remain anxious. “People talk about PTSD when it rains here, and I totally understand,” Jo Berry, a local resident of Townsville told BBC, recalling the 2019 floods that caused over a billion-dollar damage. “It’s not our first rodeo,” she added, describing sleepless nights spent monitoring rainfall. Further north, floodwaters have left some towns cut off, and the extent of the damage is still unclear. The Herbert River, which peaked about the same height as in 1967, began to drop.

“Growing up there, I remember my parents talking about the 1967 event and how devastating that was and the fact that we may never see another one again. And this has proven that another one has come,” Mr Crisafulli said. The partial collapse of the Bruce Highway continues to hinder relief efforts, with detours adding hundreds of kilometres to transport routes and delaying the delivery of essential supplies.

However, even as the worst has passed, authorities continue to warn of the threat of heavy rain from Yabulu, just north of Townsville, to Cardwell, another community that has been hard hit. “We’re likely to continue to see these rivers rise or stay at the major flood level through to Tuesday,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore said. “With forecast rainfall, that means we could see renewed rises … and that’s why we are concerned.”.