• Authorities in Queensland ordered evacuations in Townsville as floods approach historic highs; warning of crocodiles.
• A woman died after a boat capsized in Ingham; 2100 homes are under evacuation orders.
• Premier David Crisafulli warned of more rain and urged residents to prepare for the worst.

One woman has died in Australia as authorities order people in the country’s flood-ravaged northeast to evacuate and be on the lookout for crocodiles as river levels approach historic highs.

Authorities in Queensland said parts of the state received more than 600mm in 24 hours.

With heavy rains continuing, residents in six flood-prone suburbs of Townsville, a city of around 200,000 people, were told on Sunday to evacuate their homes.

The city’s disaster management group coordinator, Zac Dawe,s said 2100 homes were under evacuation orders on Sunday evening.

State MP Natalia Marr (left) works with other Townsville locals to fill sandbags as flood warnings are issued in Queensland, Australia. Photo / Facebook

But “about 10%” of the community did not heed the order, he said.

One of those was a woman in her 90s who has lived in Townsville all her life, according to her neighbour Shan Isis, who sought shelter at an evacuation centre.

“She’s refusing to come to the evacuation centre because she believes the floods aren’t going to be that bad, and she’s seen heaps of floods before,” Isis told the national broadcaster ABC.

Police said earlier that a woman died after the boat she was in capsized in the rural town of Ingham, around 230km from Cairns.

Queensland police superintendent Graeme Paine said the coming hours would be “really critical” for Townsville.

“Certainly for Townsville, the indications are there will be an inundation that will impact people.”

Rising floodwaters forced the closure of the local airport and Townsville University Hospital to delay elective surgeries, as the state declared that around 100 schools were “unsafe for students to attend”.

Premier David Crisafulli warned more rain was forecast in the coming days which could result in “record rainfalls”.

The weather conditions were unlike anything the state had experienced “for a long time”, Crisafulli said.

“It’s not just the intensity, but it’s also the longevity of it,” he told the ABC national broadcaster earlier on Sunday.

“Take the precautions, prepare for the worst, listen to the advice – please don’t discount this.”

The Environment Department has warned people to be on the watch for crocodiles that may move about in “search of calmer waters”.

“Expect crocodiles in all north and far north Queensland waterways even if there is no warning sign,” it said in a statement cited by local media.

The heavy rain will continue in the coming 24 hours, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning some areas will receive 450mm of rainfall.

Researchers have repeatedly warned that climate change amplifies the risk of natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.