Here in Ipswich, RAAF Base Amberley watched as the flooding in northern Queensland intensified.
In the nine days after Australia Day, the Townsville region had a year’s worth of rainfall.
On Sunday night the spillway gates at Ross River Dam were fully opened and many areas of Townsville were flooded.
The shelves had been stripped of essentials in all the major supermarkets.
Both road and air access was limited.
A deal was struck between Defence, Woolworths and Coles and the RAAF immobilised.
Approximately 70 tonnes of produce and essential items were loaded and flown from RAAF Amberley in Ipswich to Townsville via Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster to replenish stores in areas with exhausted stock.
Thanks to the late night delivery on Tuesday, the urgently needed fresh product and household items were back on the shelves in flood ravaged North Queensland.
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