The clean-up is continuing in the south of Queensland following widespread flooding. Residents are returning to their properties in Warra 150km north-west of Toowoomba.
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00:00 The situation is remarkably calmer now than it was this time yesterday.
00:07 This creek behind me has receded quite a lot.
00:11 This time yesterday it was rising very quickly and by last evening was coming up and going
00:16 through people's houses, Joe.
00:19 And how's the community feeling now?
00:23 The community, as I said, they're breathing a sigh of relief today.
00:27 The flooding last night at about 9 o'clock had sort of come about one metre into people's
00:32 homes, especially the homes that were right by this creek.
00:36 Swift Water Rescue Teams, Joe, were called in to rescue 29 people last night and take
00:42 them to safety.
00:44 And today they've been allowed to come back here.
00:46 The water's receded.
00:48 Their homes are full of mud, sludge, and now the cleanup has started.
00:54 But I must say there is a feeling of relief because some residents have told me that they
00:58 couldn't believe how quickly the water was rising this time yesterday, Joe.
01:03 And is it an area that floods frequently or was this a lot more full on than they've experienced
01:09 previously?
01:10 Look, no, it's not an area that floods frequently.
01:16 Yes, there is a creek that runs through the town.
01:19 However, what happened in this situation is that the water from three separate creeks
01:24 and river systems converged all at once on the town of Warrah, which is quite unexpected.
01:32 Even the mayor, the local mayor here, says that it caught even authorities by surprise
01:36 last night.
01:38 It wasn't so much the rain falling on Warrah itself.
01:41 It was rain from the catchment areas and it all just converged in one great rush to the
01:47 town.
01:48 And it was, Joe, about nine o'clock last night when authorities realised things were getting
01:52 quite dire and they needed to get people out of here.
01:56 And did they evacuate the whole of the town or were some people left there while others
02:01 spent the night in Dolby?
02:04 Yes, so they evacuated, Joe, 29 people.
02:09 The town's about 180 people or so.
02:12 So no, not the whole town.
02:13 They mostly evacuated, Joe, the houses that actually line this creek that's right behind
02:18 me here.
02:19 So there are a lot of houses right along the creek.
02:22 So essentially it was the people living by the creek.
02:26 One thing to mention is that the massive big log that's out of town that has 'Welcome to
02:30 Warrah' written on it, such was the ferocity of the water that it's ended up in town by
02:37 the local state school at the gates of the local state school.
02:40 (laughing)
02:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]