But โabout 10%โ of the community did not heed the order, he said.
One of those was a woman in her 90s who has lived in Townsville all her life, according to her neighbour Shan Isis, who sought shelter at an evacuation centre.
โSheโs refusing to come to the evacuation centre because she believes the floods arenโt going to be that bad, and sheโs seen heaps of floods before,โ Isis told the national broadcaster ABC.
Police said earlier that a woman died after the boat she was in capsized in the rural town of Ingham, around 230km from Cairns.
Queensland police superintendent Graeme Paine said the coming hours would be โreally criticalโ for Townsville.
โCertainly for Townsville the indications are there will be an inundation that will impact people,โ he said.
Rising floodwaters forced the closure of the local airport and Townsville University Hospital to delay elective surgeries, as the state declared that around 100 schools were โunsafe for students to attendโ.
The stateโs Premier David Crisafulli warned more rain was forecast in the coming days which could result in โrecord rainfallsโ.
The weather conditions were unlike anything the state had experienced โfor a long timeโ, Crisafulli said.
โItโs not just the intensity, but itโs also the longevity of it,โ he told the ABC national broadcaster earlier on Sunday.
โTake the precautions, prepare for the worst, listen to the advice โ please donโt discount this,โ Crisafulli said.
The environment department has warned people to be on the watch for crocodiles that may move about in โsearch of calmer watersโ.
โExpect crocodiles in all north and far north Queensland waterways even if there is no warning sign,โ it said in a statement cited by local media.
The heavy rain will continue in the coming 24 hours, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning some areas will receive 450mm of rainfall.
Researchers have repeatedly warned that climate change amplifies the risk of natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.