The Other Column

The area under water is now like France, Germany and Britain (thanks, Reader Sarah). It’s set to get a lot worse. Worse even, than the infamous 1974 flood.

New Farm Park, Brisbane, Tuesday 12/1/10, 3pm. With thanks, Reader Joanna.

For international readers, it’s like this.

It’s storming across most of the state. It’s been raining for about 6 weeks – as if someone had canceled summer – the ground is boggy and refusing to take any more.

Yesterday, Toowoomba, which is on top of a mountain range (600m above sea level), suffered freak flash flooding. No weather models predicted it. Ten are confirmed dead and 78 missing (as at 7:30pm). There are very few breaks in the weather to allow for helicopter evacuations. More than forty-five people have been plucked from rooftops.

Imagine, a wall of water, up to 8 metres high (26 feet), coming out of nowhere, like an inland tsunami, stacking cars like toys in the main street, washing a house off its stumps, and creeks turning into raging torrents in ten minutes.

That water, an amount approximating the contents of Sydney Harbour, is on its way down the range, towards the capital city, Brisbane. Add to that the fact that Brisbane is built around a tidal river. And that we’ve been experiencing a whole bunch of king tides, with more to come. Pontoons are already drifting down river, north of Brisbane, and the water from inland hasn’t reached us yet (expected in the next 2 days).

Things are worsening minute by minute. For the first time ever, the Myer Centre has been evacuated. The Brisbane River has already broken its banks in several places (Bulimba this morning; West End this afternoon), despite sandbagging. In the centre of town, the Eagle Street Pier businesses have been evacuated, ditto government departments and other businesses. The State Library is expecting inundation.

People leaving work in Brisbane city are stuck in traffic (an hour to get from CBD to Albion). City evacuations aren’t mandatory yet, but recommended.

Some mobile phone services are down. We’re being told to not use phones unless necessary. We’re being told to get off the roads and stay home.

About 13,000 people are without power. Public transport services are being cut hour by hour (Citycat & ferry services aren’t running at all). Gympie Road Lawnton is cut in both directions. Caboolture is cut off – it’s canoe-land. Strathpine is being evacuated. Mums with kids in tow, are waiting 2.5hrs to get council issued sandbags to save their suburban homes.

Many mines are shut. Insurance stocks are being dumped in a hurry. Crops are ruined. Expected $1Billion a month in lost exports on commodities and farm products.

Milk is running out in the shops. Farmers are spilling milk by the truckload, as they can’t get it out of the farm because of flooded roads. Cotton growers haven’t only lost this crop (which is still under water & can’t be harvested), but it’s getting too late to plant next year’s crop.

Highways are cut, leaving people stranded – highways like carparks.

By 8:30am today, inner-city yuppies were buying trolley loads of bottled water. Think, Twilight Zone. People who’ve never had to queue for anything other than good concert tickets, scrambling to Coles for water.

The list of suburbs being evacuated is unbelievably long. Trendy Red Hill has experienced a landslide. There are pot holes and washed out roads, everywhere.

Looking north – the next few hours will bring a tropical storm and expected flash flooding to Cairns and surrounds.

And it’s still raining. Hard. Like, 150mm in 3hrs.

When we’re told not to cross flooded roads, it’s not just because the water could be deeper and faster than you think – but, because you don’t know what’s below the surface …

Don't cross flooded roads! What's beneath? - Goodwood Rd Childers (Photo from Bundy Floods 2010 Facebook Group).)

Leichhardt Highway near Wandoan by Tania W., (Bundy Floods 2010 Facebook Group)

The next two days will be telling as the water reaches Brisbane and major flooding worsens in northern New South Wales. Ipswich is next in line.

http://www.abc.net.au/news
SES ph 132 500
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods ph 1800 173 349
Road closures ph 131 940
Translink.com.au ph. 13 12 30
Flood Information ph 1300 993 191
Emergencies ph 000

Bob Bonnell evacuating Jean from Chuan Huat Farm, Biloela. Photo, courtesy of Dominique Tan.

Local readers would know that my home state of Queensland is currently experiencing unprecedented flooding – the affected area is bigger than our neighbouring state of New South Wales. For international readers, it exceeds the combined area of Germany and France. The city of Rockhampton is now cut off, with the Fitzroy River still to peak.

While I’m fine and far away, friends in the country aren’t. On NYE, I received a humorous but heart-breaking email from the Tan family of Biloela. Read the email below (reprinted with permission), and you’ll understand what I love about the country (I lived there for >6 years) – it’s the indomitable spirit of the people.

**************

New Year’s Eve, 2010.
Ours is just one disaster story among many. I truly regret the loss of our cars – If only we had shifted them – if only we’d known the large volume of water that would come down from the town (this is not flooding from creeks but storm run-off from the town – our property is below the level of the town). Our downstairs was thigh-high in water and all we’d done was pile things to bed & bench-top height.

Ok – have to go. Have just fielded 5 phone calls – it’s been lovely to hear from friends during a difficult time.

Dominique

Attachment
From: Richard
Sent: Friday, 31 December 2010 7:20 AM

We are fine! (sob, sob)

The place stinks.
The grass is rotting, the earth is oozing.
Dead fish and dead pigeons & chooks everywhere.
We are into day 3 of cleaning up.
So far, we’ve taken 4 Toyota loads of dead stuff to the dump (our own dump on the farm is still under water).

Look at the bright side: I’ll know how to set up the farm to avoid flood damage in future.
Also, the bamboo is the brightest they have looked since coming out of the drought.

I had photos taken whilst the water was rising.
Then, I left the camera in the Lexus.
Overnight, the Lexus got drowned.
Now, I’m waiting to see if the memory card will work, when it dries out.

I just caught my chest freezer as it floated out the back door of the carport.
I hitched it to the stairs by the electrical chord, next to the dinghy.
Good thing I saved the freezer.
The freezer had my entire fishing catch from my November fishing trip.
(SES took fish into town) I bought a new freezer, now in a friend’s carport, up town.
We also retrieved a freezer full of meat (about 150 kg) from another freezer that was in another shed.
We had killed a young bull the week before Xmas.

Our plumber, a good friend, restored fresh water to the house yesterday.
Good to have first shower after 4 days (having ‘bird-baths’ before that).
A retired electrician restored power to one of my bore-pumps.
Our normal electrician was stranded at Byfield (see ByfieldGetaway.com)
This enabled to keep all my Soon Hock fish alive (small mercies).
Also, this supplied drinking water to my pigeons that have survived (about 3,000).
Our two builders (they built sheds, etc) and family members, came to help in the cleanup.
They helped to drain water away, went through cages pulling out dead birds, etc.

It’s amazing how everyone came to help.
The numbers of people ringing up to offer help was incredible.
We are just grateful that we are not as badly off as other towns.

We can survive.
It’ll soon be a memory.

Richard

***********
The full extent of the Queensland floods will be realised when insurance assessors (currently stranded in Rockhampton) come out to affected areas and determine that some people are covered; some partially covered; and some, not at all. Many producers didn’t or couldn’t insure their animals. Furthermore, insurance companies will be particular about who’s covered under flood or storm water run-off.

Many of the people badly affected by these floods put food on Australia’s table and keep the lights on. It’s perversely bad luck to suffer floods after surviving terrible drought.

Keep these communities in your thoughts. Help out, if you can. And let’s hope the state and federal governments get the assistance packages right and in a timely manner. Country folk aren’t prone to asking for outside help (Moura SES has already closed the donation line, citing the immense charity of nearby Biloela residents), but they’re certainly going to be needing it.

Do you have any photos or stories about the floods?
Please add your words of support for flood victims to the comments.

UPDATE: Reader Lee has a great TIP, which might help those with WATERLOGGED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT (Richard: maybe it’ll help your camera card?). ***Place water-affected electrical equipment into a sealed bag of uncooked rice for 3 days – the dry rice sucks out the moisture. DON’T turn on the camera/DS/phone until 3 days of drying, as you’ll fry the electricals.*** This has worked for a DS dropped into a toilet and a mobile phone that took a bath. Hope this helps.

With the unrelenting weather we’ve been experiencing lately (storms, Storms, STORMS), this little comedy skit strikes a chord. Stay dry & enjoy!