Flooding in Australia

I'm not sure how many of you will have heard about our situation - I believe it was broadcast on CNN and a few other international news networks - however Australia is currently suffering from record-breaking floods, particularly in our north-eastern state of Queensland. Up to 75% of the state has been affected by the water, some 40,000 homes in the capital city of Brisbane alone!

Here's a video to give you an idea as to the severity of the flooding:



(I have a link to an image slideshow also on my blog.)

12 confirmed dead so far, at least 67 unaccounted for... but with waters continuing to rise for at least another 12 hours, who knows what will happen? Some towns are going to be buried under 20 METRES (60ft.) of water!

I'm thankful that I don't live anywhere near this state however everyone where I am knows at least someone up there. Scary stuff

Just it personalise it for site members, this has directly and seriously affected at least 2 of our SGs (Tez and Scotty), as well as a large number of our Queensland members.

Here's footage of a horse being rescued from just being where it was used to being.

UPDATE: Scotty has posted a blog with pictures from where she lives.

As far as I know, Lelaina and Tahliana are unaffected (directly at least) by the floodwaters.

Mostly, as best I can tell, members are fretting for family and friends who are at more risk than they are.

90 people currently unaccounted for.

It's been really awful to see. Please keep us posted if there's anything we can do to help in the aftermath.

The statistic that really caught my eye was the one concerning the size of the flooded area. Bigger than France and Germany combined? That's pretty mind-boggling.

It's on the front page (lower-left bottom) of almost every newpaper in italy, so yes, we've been folowing that, and it's pretty amazing that brisbane is being partially evacuated. it's not one of those smaaaaal rural towns which we sometimes see on tv getting flooded, it's australia's third-biggest city!

How scary... I hope the waters recede soon!

Today I read that the area in Qld that is declared a "National Disaster" is the size of South Africa!
What the shit?? I sometimes for get how big Qld really is...

I'm very glad you and your family are ok Scotty.
Being on the other side of the world and separated from your loved ones really sucks at a time like this

Just gonna put this here



This is like something out of a movie, I just cannot believe this is happening.

Un-fucking-believable

Thanks for posting that CJ, it absolutely boggles the mind to think just how deep that water is, and what lies beneath it. The clean up is going to be massive, and we can only hope those that are missing will be found alive.

looking at those videos, the main question on my mind is: is that water ever gonna go away, or the area has turned into a giant lake?

the water looks still, not like rushing away, flooding to somewhere else... and the quantity of water is not something you can just drain away... that's scary!

we have floods here in italy, but after doing their damage, the waters flow away into the nearest biggest river or the such, leaving mud and debris. but i don't think we've ever had to fight against water standing still in the middle of a city!

Found this in the news. 13 year old hero It is always touching to hear of the bravery of children and saddening to hear of their deaths.

^^^ Yeah, his story has been front page of the local papers. Tragic indeed.

It's tragic, hey. That kid was wise beyond his years... sadly we'll never get the chance to see him mature.

I'm glad you're okay, Scotty & Tez. My thoughts go out to you all up north.

i hope the best for all those who are suffering from these floods, its a real tragedy. i plan on visiting australia in 2011 and i am wondering what the damage will look like at that time

The water in Brisbane is receding now, and the cleaning up is underway.

Meanwhile, some striking images/footage of animals (nothing tragic).

For a visual of the area of devastation in Queensland, this is quite effective (including affected areas, not just badly flooded):

Map comparison - can't get image to post directly, so please click here

I live in Brisbane and have luckily escaped entirely because I live on a hill, but friends of mine in Ipswich were evacuated and the flood waters came to near their ceiling, while other friends have been cut off without access to food and water in Rockhampton, others cut off without milk and eggs and power in outer Brisbane, as well as electricity being cut off for 5 days in some inner suburbs of Brisbane, and a general inability to get around because of the water blocking off main roads. My Grandpa was without power for days, as was my Grandma's cousin, but luckily both are on the elderly link up for phone calls, so they could still make calls in emergencies. The neighbours were amazingly wonderful bringing food to everyone nearby.

Queensland Police Services' photo album of the devastation to Brisbane

Queensland Police Services' photo album of the devastation to Goodna, outside Brisbane

Scotty posted a blog about her personal devastation (her home was hit directly) and my blog sets out some of the sites and some photos of devastation across Queensland, as well as a link so that overseas people can follow the news and a link to a place where you can donate funds to the recovery effort.

The flooding has affected New South Wales and there are separate flash floods hitting Victoria while Western Australia has been hit by bushfires, so the natural disasters are all banding together to hit Australia at the moment. Queensland is the worst hit, however, and the death toll in Queensland currently stands at 16, with a lot of people still unaccounted for and grave fears held. Some of those people missing are all from the same families.

The clean up will go for weeks and months, and it will take some people almost a year to be able to move back home, until which time they will be reliant on the good will of friends and family to put them up. The good will is almost universal in Queensland, with people banding together and volunteering their support to clean and help neighbours and strangers. Today the volunteering service said that they had too many volunteers and that people had to stop coming along!

The Queensland government and Queensland Police Service have both been amazing throughout the disaster. Regular information, up to date and helpful warnings. Really remarkable.

It's an awful time for a lot of people and we appreciate that the rest of the world is watching and wishing Australians well. Donate if you can to Queensland Flood Relief Appeal

And now it's Victoria's turn....