Queensland's big wet continues

Queenslanders are preparing for a wet Christmas with up to 500mm of rain forecast
for coming days.
Parts of far north Queensland have copped a drenching over the past few days and
forecasters warn the region, along with the state's entire east coast, is in for
more of the same.
In Brisbane, ferries were cancelled because of debris in the river, and cars in
low-lying areas were wrecked by localised flooding on Wednesday.
Senior forecaster Brett Harrison says Queensland's entire east coast, from the far
north to Brisbane, can expect very heavy rainfall into next week.
He says more rain is expected from a trough off the central coast, affecting
communities from Mackay south to Rockhampton.
And a low-pressure area around the Solomon Islands is also expected to move towards
the northern coast in the next couple of days, affecting the area from Cairns south
to Townsville.
However, there's only a very slim chance of it developing into a cyclone.
"It's expected to move quickly and it's not in a very good environment at the moment
to intensify," Mr Harrison said.
He said Christmas Day would be wet across most of the state, especially along the
east coast.
Premier Anna Bligh urged Queenslanders to be sensible with 500mm of rain predicted
between Bowen and Gladstone in the next few days, and 100 to 200mm in the southeast.
She urged people to secure their homes before going on holidays and heed warnings
not to try to negotiate flooded routes.
"In the last two years we have seen 20 people die in Queensland as a result of
floods. We don't want to see any flood-related deaths this Christmas," she told
reporters on Wednesday.
"We are potentially in for some very extensive flooding, and I do appeal to people,
please stay safe on our roads, take care. It could be very dangerous out there over
the next three or four days."
On Tuesday night, four people, including two children, had to be rescued from a
popular swimming spot after rising floodwaters trapped them at Josephine Falls, near
Babinda, north of Innisfail.
That followed several other rescues earlier in the week of people trapped in
southeast Queensland floodwaters.
A total of 25 councils across Queensland are now eligible for help under national
disaster relief and recovery arrangements.
Estimated damage from the recent wet weather is estimated at $607 million across the
state, but the tally is expected to rise as more rain falls.
Crop damage is yet to be assessed.