Queensland weather: state braces for heavy rain and floods after ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji batters far north

Queenslanders are bracing for floods as repairs are under way after a tropical cyclone battered the far north coast.After days of intense buildup, ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji ran out of power as it crossed the Queensland coast and was downgraded to a tropical low on Sunday.Cyclone warnings were cancelled, but residents in the far north still faced the threat of major flooding as heavy rain continued to pummel the region.Thousands were without power as authorities worked to restore electricity to affected areas.Hamilton Island recorded winds of 113km/h when the weather system made landfall early on Monday, but concerns about wild winds have abated with the main focus now on the impact of heavy rainfall.The premier, David Crisafulli, was confident Queenslanders could handle whatever came their way.“There is the risk in that next 24 to 48 hours of some really significant rainfall in patches,” Crisafulli told Nine’s Today on Monday from Bowen.“If people do the right thing and have those preparations we’ll continue to get through this unscathed.”He will chair the state disaster meeting from Proserpine later on Monday.Warnings were issued for heavy rain along the central Queensland coast, with falls expected to continue into Monday.Some areas were forecast to see isolated totals of up to 340mm in 24 hours across saturated catchments, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.Flood watches remained in place for the Channel Country after the monsoon earlier devastated the state’s northwest, isolating towns and properties.The mammoth clean-up has barely begun, with conservative estimates of more than 45,000 livestock missing or dead.“We will continue to watch and see the impact that the system could have – the last thing we want to see is more rainfall in areas that have copped more than a year’s supply in less than a week,” Crisafulli said.Fodder drops continued, and authorities were stockpiling antibiotics and veterinary supplies to treat surviving stock and combat infection.“The economic impact for western Queensland, because of how important agriculture is to underpin those communities, will be large,” Crisafulli said.“We’re doing everything we can to spare as many cattle as possible and help those primary producers.”Flood warnings were in place on Monday morning for catchments including Herbert, Upper Burdekin, Lower Burdekin, Haughton, Ross, Bohle, Don, Proserpine, Pioneer, Lower Flinders, Norman, Gilbert, Georgina and Eyre, Diamantina and Thomson on.