Floods poured into Brisbane’s empty centre today after leaving a deadly trail across the region in what could be its most devastating floods in a century.
The surging waters reached the tops of traffic lights in some parts of Brisbane, and the mayor said at least 20,000 homes were in danger of being inundated.
At least 22 people have died and more than 40 are missing across Australia’s north-eastern state of Queensland since rains that began in November sent swollen rivers spilling over their banks, flooding an area larger than France and Germany combined.
Brisbane, the state capital with a population of two million, is the latest city to face down the waters, and officials expect the death toll to rise.
Today residents who had spent two days preparing took cover on higher ground while others scrambled to move their prized possessions to the top floors of their homes. Some stacked furniture on their roofs.
The Brisbane River is expected to reach its highest point tonight. After days of bad news in which figures were constantly being revised, the Bureau of Meteorology delivered a small and rare positive forecast - the floodwaters would crest about a foot lower than earlier thought.
If correct, the new forecast meant the waters would not reach the depth of 1974 floods that swept the city. Queensland premier Anna Bligh said the news was welcome, but of little comfort.
“This is still a major event, the city is much bigger, much more populated and has many parts under flood that didn’t even exist in 1974,” she said. “We are still looking at an event which will cripple parts of our city.”
The dragged-out crisis escalated when a violent storm sent a 26-foot, fast-moving torrent - described as an “inland instant tsunami” - crashing through the city of Toowoomba and smaller towns to the west of Brisbane on Monday. Twelve people were killed in that flash flood. Today Ms Bligh said the number of missing had been revised down to 43.
“This is a truly dire set of circumstances,” prime minister Julia Gillard said.
The Brisbane River broke its banks yesterday and was continuing its rise - partly controlled by a huge dam upstream that has had its floodgates opened because it is brimming after weeks of rain across the state.
Water levels were expected to stay at peak levels until at least Saturday, but many people will not be able to reach their homes for several days beyond that.
The flooding is shaping up to become the nation’s most expensive disaster, with an estimated price tag of at least AUS$5 billion. The relentless waters have shut down Queensland state’s crucial coal industry and ruined crops across vast swathes of farmland.
Brisbane’s office buildings stood empty today with the normally bustling central business district transformed into a watery ghost town. Most roads around the city were closed, and people moved about in kayaks, rowing boats and even on surfboards.
One of the city’s sports stadiums, which hosts international rugby games, was flooded with muddy, chest-deep water.
Boats torn from their moorings floated down the rising river along with massive amounts of debris. A popular waterside restaurant’s pontoon was swept away by the current and floated downstream.
Officials opened three more evacuation centres creating room for 16,000 people to take shelter.
The city’s main power company, said it would switch off electricity to some parts of the city as a precaution against electrocution. Almost 70,000 homes were without power.
“I know that this is going to be very difficult for people,” Ms Bligh said.
“Can I just stress: Electricity and water do not mix. We would have catastrophic situations if we didn’t shut down power.” For weeks, the flooding had been a slow-motion disaster, devastating farmland and small towns. On Monday, the crisis took a sudden, violent turn, with a cloudburst sending a raging torrent down the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane.
Houses were washed from their foundations and cars tossed about like bath toys in what police commissioner Bob Atkinson described as “an inland instant tsunami.”
Hundreds had to be rescued by helicopter and emergency vehicles were moving into the worst-hit parts of the valley today. Ms Bligh warned that the death toll would probably rise as rescuers gained access to the devastated areas.
The city of Ipswich, home to about 15,000 people, was swamped today by the water heading Brisbane’s way. By the afternoon, 3,000 properties had been inundated, and 1,100 people had fled to evacuation centres.
AP