A MAJOR alert from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has Ipswich residents on edge with fears more flood events could hit the region in the December, January and February period.
North Booval homeowner Tegan Cornacchia is still waiting for repairs to be done after two rain events nearly destroyed her property earlier this year.
The prediction of more flooding has her fearing the worst because the property is still in a state of disrepair.
Ms Cornacchia’s house is not insured and the pensioner said any subsequent flooding would completely destroy anything she had left after the last floods hit.
While meteorologists say it is still too early to predict with certainty what summer will look like, the Bureau gave a big indication we could be in for another wet period when it moved from ‘LaNina Watch’ to ‘LaNina Alert’.
The alert issued last week means there is now a 70 percent chance of a La Nina weather pattern being declared later this year.
"My mental health has declined since the last two flood events,” said Ms Cornacchia.
“Nothing has been done about underneath my house so I’m still at square one.“I’ve still not managed to fix or clean up the house properly after the last flood.”
She said Flood Recovery officers visited her early in the year to take measurements to get the plaster changed.
“The plasterers won’t be available until late September, if we get more rain everything is just going to go again,” she said.
“I’ve been applying for rentals with no luck. I’ve been wanting to rent out the house and live somewhere else, but there is nothing going. I don’t want to live here but I’ve got nowhere else to go. I don’t want to live in a flood zone anymore, I want some organisation in my life.”
La Nina events are associated with heavy downpours and widespread flooding. They were the catalyst that drove the torrid conditions experienced in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 summers.
BoM meteorologist Laura Boekel said the Bureau was on La Nina watch which meant Australia was more likely to see a La Nina event this summer.
Beyond leading to cooler temperatures and more tropical cyclones, the presence of a La Nina is mainly associated with an increased chance of rain and widespread flooding.
Ms Cornacchia has owned her house since 2009 and said any subsequent rain events would destroy everything she had left.
“If La Nina brings floods again, I’ll be back to square one.”