Name: Weather alerts lost after NBN vandalism amid Townsville deluge
Uploaded: 2026-01-10T06:18:23.442Z
Duration: 1 min 34 s
Description: North Queensland is bracing for more wild weather as a tropical low inches closer to the coast. However, some people in Townsville’s northern suburbs have been unable to receive weather warnings due to vandalism of the NBN’s wiring.

North Queensland is bracing for more wild weather as a tropical low inches closer to the coast. However, some people in Townsville’s northern suburbs have been unable to receive weather warnings due to vandalism of the NBN’s wiring.

Townsville City

North Queensland is preparing for severe weather as a tropical low nears the coast, prompting closures of Townsville airport, beach stinger nets, and ferry services. A copper theft has caused an NBN outage in Townsville's northern suburbs, preventing some residents from receiving weather warnings or making calls, with police investigating and technicians working on repairs.

Authorities have identified about 100 houses at risk of flooding and have contacted those residents. Meanwhile, western Queensland farms are still recovering from a recent deluge that resulted in the loss of over 40,000 livestock, with ongoing support promised for affected communities.

Weather alerts lost after NBN vandalism amid Townsville deluge

In the calm before the storm, North Queensland is bracing for more wild weather as a tropical low inches closer towards the coast. But some people in Townsville's northern suburbs have not been able to receive weather warnings or make any calls. The NBN outage caused by a thief who cut the line while stealing copper wiring. My message to that low life is you have put at risk the lives of North Queenslanders in their hour of need. Police are investigating and technicians are working to repair the outage as soon as possible while locals prepare for heavy rain. Townsville airport has now closed, stinger nets removed from beaches and ferry services cancelled. So there's about 100 houses that have been identified that could be at risk of flood inundation but those residents have been contacted. This is the Sunshine State's second disaster in weeks. Farms in western Queensland are still picking up the pieces from a deluge where some areas received more than a year's worth of rain in days. It's now confirmed more than 40,000 livestock were lost. That number is expected to grow. The animals that survived are still trying to trek home. The impacts for those on the coast won't divert our attention to make sure that every Queenslander who was impacted at the back end of last year and beyond will continue to be in our thoughts. Tiani Reid, 10 News.

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