‘Nothing to sell’: Queensland and NSW flood waters hit supermarkets and grocery supplies

Empty shelves at the Alstonville main supermarket in NSW’s northern rivers. The floods across south-east Queensland and northern NSW have created dire grocery shortages. Photograph: Christine Tondorf

In his small store in Mount Isa, almost 2,000km from the flood zones, grocer Joe da Silva is struggling to fill his shelves.

His fresh produce is gone. Stocks of other basics are dwindling. And there’s no certainty about when the next truck will arrive.