FILE - In a May 9, 2012 file photo, Capt. Sara Rodriguez, 26, of the 101st Airborne Division, carries a litter of sandbags during the Expert Field Medical Badge training at Fort Campbell, Ky. The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall, File)
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FILE - In a May 9, 2012 file photo, Capt. Sara Rodriguez, 26, of the 101st Airborne Division, carries a litter of sandbags during the Expert Field Medical Badge training at Fort Campbell, Ky. The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall, File)
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FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2012 file photo, female soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division train on a firing range while testing new body armor in Fort Campbell, Ky., in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan. The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
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FILE - This Jan. 19, 2013 file photo shows Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaking during a news conference in London. Panetta has removed US military ban on women in combat, opening thousands of front line positions. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
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Emergency flood alerts have been issued for several Queensland towns, officials say.
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Dr Ken Henry says Australian businesses won't succeed in Asia by trying to cut costs to compete.
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PM Julia Gillard's political determination has topped the major news stories of the year.
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PM Julia Gillard has flagged a new national approach to deal with violence in suburban Australia.
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Greens leader Christine Milne says the royal commission lacks a focus on aboriginal communities.
Families stranded on roofs near Gympie
Rescuers are still trying to reach three families, stuck on the roofs of their homes near Gympie.
And a man is missing after he and two other people tried to cross a swollen creek.
Mayor Ron Dyne says the families at Widgee, between Gympie and Murgon, have been stranded for more than seven hours, but all attempts by SES flood boats to reach them have failed.
"We haven't been able to get choppers in either because of the high winds," he told AAP.
"I'm not sure how many people are involved but there are three families waiting to be rescued from their roofs.
"We can't contact them because mobile phones don't work out that way.
"The SES has tried on a number of occasions to get them but they've been beaten each time."
Mr Dyne said the rain has now stopped falling in Gympie, the wind has eased, and another attempt will be made to reach the families as soon as possible.
A man and a woman were saved after trying cross the swollen Widgee Creek near Gympie but a 27-year-old man who was with them disappeared and is still missing.
The swift water rescue crew that went to the group's aid lost their boat and gear at one point during the operation.
Evacuation centres have been established at Imbil, Gympie Civic Centre, Kilkivan and Rainbow Beach.
Damage to infrastructure has cut all water supplies in the towns of Kandanga and Goomeri, where locals have been advised to conserve drinking water.
"It is not known how long it will take to fix these potentially significant problems," the mayor said.
The Mary River at Gympie is forecast to peak at 21 metres on Monday morning - about 1.5m above the floods that devastated the region in 2011.
Floodwaters cut the city in two on Sunday afternoon with the peak expected at 7am (AEST) on Monday.
Mr Dyne said the city will move into cleanup mode as quickly as possible.
"As the water goes down we'll have rural fire brigade vehicles and council crews here to start washing premises out, and we really just chase the water back down."
Most businesses should be able to open soon after the water falls, he said.
"The majority will be running again within two days unless there's major structural damage, but the road network will take a lot longer."
Premier Campbell Newman said it won't be long before people are back on their feet.
"Mayor Ron Dyne in Gympie and his team are sadly well practised in dealing with floods," he told reporters in Brisbane.
Tags:
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