Police have slammed the disgraceful actions of looters who have been targeting homes that were evacuated due to severe flooding in North Queensland.

Queensland’s flood watch zone has been extended as the state’s north prepares for a more rain, which could hamper recovery efforts in the already hard-hit and waterlogged parts of the coast.

Some vital transport routes across flooded North Queensland are expected to reopen within 48 hours but retailers – and possibly consumers – will have to cop increased freight costs. From Cairns in the Far North to Mount Isa in the west supermarket shelves are looking bare due to road closures and transport disruptions in and out of Townsville.

Townsville residents have begun returning to their homes after a major flood warning was downgraded to moderate, while residents in Ingham are battling flooding of hundreds of homes, power outages and the loss of communications.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is warning up to 200 millimetres could still fall on Townsville, Ingham and surrounds.

Record-breaking floods across north Queensland have now turned deadly, with one woman drowning while being rescued on Sunday morning. And the floodwaters are still rising, with rain set to continue.