News Queensland flooding crisis.

[tl8]

Hi All

Just letting you know that I am fine, my family is fine and I don't know anyone missing.

Things here in Toowoomba are really really bad. 2 people were killed in the city itself. They were swept away after clinging to trees. There are 8 people confirmed dead in the area. 70 people are missing.

Due to design of the waterways, there was little damage to buildings in Toowoomba City. However at the bottom of the range, basically a lahar occurred (minus the volcano).

Several towns along Lockyer Creek have been basically wiped out.

At the moment I am scared. This sort of thing has never happened in Toowoomba. I will explain what happened in more detail when it comes to hand.

 

[tblaxland]

Good to see you online tl8 . Amazing that the internet is even working for you.

For those of you who don't know what has has been going on in tl8's part of the world, here is just one of many stories:
Grave fears for dozens missing in deadly floods
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/11/3110285.htm

Young children are among those dead after a wall of water raged down the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, crashing through several smaller towns in the Lockyer Valley below.

Recommended video: http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201101/r700182_5357372.asx

Our thoughts are with you and your neighbours, mate.

 

[tl8]

Brisbane and Ipswich is now getting ready for flooding. Expecting it to be worse than 1974 flood. Situation is still ongoing.

It is now a mega disaster.

 

[dbeachy1]

:blink: Hang in there, mate!

 

[tblaxland]

Expecting it to be worse than 1974 flood.

It would already would be if not for the Wivenhoe Dam. I hate to imagine how it would be without it.

It is now a mega disaster.

That is not overstating it. I just got off the phone with our IT Manager in our Brisbane office (Newstead). They are being evacuated right now. When the CBD of a major city goes under, you know you are in trouble. EDIT: I will say that the predicted flood levels are below our office building there, but they are unlikely to be able to get in or out for a while.

 

[ryan]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8194723/instant-inland-tsunami-kills-four

Death level has now incresed to 8 now 5 unconfirmed, 72 people are still missing.
Shocked to see this happen at places that i often am and know.
And even worse news even more rain is forcasted:facepalm:

(Sorry for the Australian news link)

 

[tl8]

Low lying areas of Brisbane are now being evacuated. I suspect that the whole state is going to basically shut down. Most major cities are now dealing with flooding. Of most concern is that Amberley Airbase is now flooding.

No update on the S&R yet, the weather is not suitable for flying.

---------- Post added at 04:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 PM ----------

The Bremer River in Ipswich is except to peak at 22m. 1974 was only 20m. This is very bad for Ipswich.

---------- Post added at 05:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:26 PM ----------

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/11/3110758.htm?section=justin

Good article about the impending flood of brisse, and what the dams are doing to help

 

[jinglesassy]

Hope you are ok and make it through the floods unharmed.

 

[tl8]

10 Dead, 78 Missing with grave fears for 18. Wivenhoe Dam is at 193% and is safe up to 225%.

The situation in Toowoomba is getting better. Still no real idea when I will try and head back to work.

---------- Post added at 08:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:22 PM ----------

Some good news, all the phone and internet infrastructure is mostly ok. This includes the other flooded areas like Rockhampton and Emerald.

 

[orb]

A satellite image of extensive flooding in city of Rockhampton taken 4 days ago (Jan. 7, 2011) by Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft:

Click on the image to enlarge​

Related article - NASA JPL: NASA Image Shows La Niña-Caused Woes Down Under.

 

[tl8]

Queensland is now basically shutting down. Power is going to be disconnected to the Brisbane CBD early tomorrow morning.

To get a perspective, shut down the 3rd largest city in your country.

3/4ths of Queensland is now flood declared with most of the population under threat.

---------- Post added at 09:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:08 PM ----------

Sorry, power won't be disconnected all at once, it will be a case by case basis

Ipswich could have a peak of 24m which is 4m above 1974 levels

 

[SiberianTiger]

Please hold on! My condolences for people in Australia who lost or miss their relatives. :huh:

 

[Eccentrus]

Wow pretty much like the case of Jakarta Flooding in 2008, I've been through something like this, and it took a full month for the water to dry up, but this happen in a much larger area, and from what happened in Jakarta and its surrounding, I can only hope for a fast recovery there.

My prayers and condolences are with the family of the lost/died.

And of course, hang in there tl8, you might want to take some books of the shelves to keep yourself busy once the net is out, and don't forget to stock up food, and when the power goes out, cook all of them at once, and never ever forget about water. I was lucky my parents opened a DIY store, we literally have water tanks for sale, and used it to contain as much water as we can back then, and during the month out of electricity and clean water, those 10 full fledged large buckets are basically what we use for hygiene and drinking.

 

[Tex]

It's good to hear you are still dry down there mate! I know what its like getting flooded, I really hope you don't have to experience it too.

 

[dgatsoulis]

WTF caused that?
Was it a mini Tsunami, or the weather?
My sincere support to the families of the lost ones!

 

[tl8]

In Toowoomba there was a lot of rain in a very short time. As the ground was soaked, it was all generated into run off. The waterways were designed for reasonable levels of water, but the amount they saw was incredible. This water is now heading for the Murray/Darling River system.

For the Lockyer Valley, water was running off the mountain which Toowoomba sits on. This along with land-sides, overloaded the waterways and was an In-land tsunami.

---------- Post added at 08:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 AM ----------

Wivenhoe releases are now able to be scaled back. This hopefully will last and reduce the level of the flood.

 

[ryan]

WTF caused that?
Was it a mini Tsunami, or the weather?
My sincere support to the families of the lost ones!

People are comparing it to a tsunami but its a mixture of the rain and the dams having to let go of the over flowing water.

 

[tl8]

Quick update:
12 Dead, 59 missing with fears for 9.
Ipswich peak is/was at 20.5m
Brisbane peak will be at 4am tomorrow at about 5.5m

Wivenhoe dam gates have been closed to as much as they dare.

---------- Post added at 06:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:04 PM ----------

Now for some images from the bridge over the creek:
The first few are of the creek in at a major level after a very bad storm (a few weeks ago).

The next few are of the creek today after Mondays flash flood.

All the debris you can see off to the side was stuck on the railings of the bridge. I have no idea how high the water was, but it was easily higher than the railings.

 

[ryan]

The Brisbane river didn't hit the expected peak at 5.5 metres it stayed below the 5 metre mark.
A 13th death is being investigated by police, once a body is found it is automatically turned into a crime scene so information is not coming out very quick.
Pretty much all the land marks in Brisbane are flooded Suncorp Stadium, the Wheel of Brisbane, Art Museum, Exhibition Centre, even waters are creeping up behind Parliment House.
Even a bikeway which sits on the river was swept away it would smashed into the many cross river bridges but a tug boat captain bravely straightened the bikeway out so it went under the bridges cleanly.

---------- Post added at 11:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 AM ----------

The death toll now is 14, the 14th person to die was in a suberb Durack which is very close to wear my sister is stuck and cut off by the flood waters.

 

[tblaxland]

Brisbane River now down to 2.4 m and the clean-up begins. Death toll now 15, 55 missing with grave concerns for 12 of those.

There are ongoing concerns further inland at Goondiwindi but it looks like the flood levees will hold.

There has been a large inverted trough running from central Australia down to Tasmania but it is gradually flattening out and should move out to the east later today. The rain it has dumped is causing some flooding in Victoria and South Australia, but nothing on the scale of what has been seen in Queensland.