BRISBANE - The gravity of south-west Queensland's floods is sinking in, with residents of a whole town being forced to evacuate and the discovery of a body swept away two days ago.
The town of St George was expected to be completely cut off late last night ahead of an expected 15-metre flood peak tomorrow - 1.5 metres higher than previous records.
A mandatory evacuation order was declared after Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Mayor Donna Stewart met with disaster management groups yesterday.
The order has since been made public via email, media outlets, online and through social media.
Police and SES crews have doorknocked every home in St George to let people know the situation.
Under state legislation, police and other emergency workers are given extra powers in a disaster, including the use of reasonable force to make people leave.
Ms Stewart said people were risking their lives if they did not go.
``If they do stay, we will not be able to guarantee their safety,'' she said.
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