Far north battens down as potential cyclone closes in

WHERE WILL THE SYSTEM HIT?

* Tropical Low 12U is slowly moving towards the north Queensland coast

* It is likely to make landfall between Cairns and Ayr late Saturday or early Sunday as Tropical Cyclone Koji, bringing heavy rainfall, damaging winds up to 100 km/h and flash flooding

* Warning zone is Port Douglas to Tully, including Cairns and Innisfail, with a watch zone from Tully to Airlie Beach, including Townsville and Bowen

* There is a severe weather warning for possible rainfall totals of between 250mm to 350mm over 24 hoursHOW IS THE FAR NORTH PREPARING?

* 92 additional police, 35 additional state emergency services personnel and 79 Queensland Fire and Rescue have been deployed

* 60 SES flood boats have also been pre-positioned in the area with multiple rescue helicopters on standby * Almost half a million sandbags will be at the disposal of crews assisting impacted areas

WHAT AREA HAS ALREADY BEEN IMPACTED?

* A large area of Queensland's north and northwest has already been hit hard by flooding after up to a metre of rain fell over more than a week, isolating towns and devastating livestock

* The downpours incapacitated 11 per cent of the state's road network

* An estimated 35,840 livestock are missing or deceased with graziers now bracing for more floodwaters triggered by the looming cyclone

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE DEVASTATING 2019 FLOODS?

* Flooding in early 2019 killed an estimated 457,000 head of cattle, 43,000 sheep, 710 horses and 3000 goats across 11.4 million hectares in the state's northwest, according to a 2020 Queensland government report.

* Australia's largest listed beef producer Australian Agricultural Company said the 2019 disaster cost it $47 million

WHAT HELP IS AVAILABLE?

* Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $38 million package for flood-affected northwest

* It included $21.5 million in grants for impacted farmers - up to $75,000 each - and $11.5 million for repairs and flood resilience upgrades to flood-hit Cloncurry Airport

* Hardship payments have been activated for councils across the northwest and the far north