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Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
TL;DR - Brisbane and other parts of Queensland, Australia are being ravaged by floods. 400 streets expected to be covered/partially covered. Massive damage is being inflicted.
Insane footage of entire parking lot being swept up:
The Brisbane River has broken its banks amid dire predictions of the biggest floods to hit Queensland's capital since 1974.
The weather bureau says the river is expected to reach major flood levels tomorrow afternoon and rise further on Thursday.
It is believed 9,000 homes will be inundated as floodwaters race towards the city.
Some areas have received up to 150 millimetres of rain in three hours.
Water is also rising quickly in the Bremer River at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, where it is expected to peak close to 19 metres.
Police are preparing residents and business owners in the inner-city suburb of West End for the possibility of evacuations later today.
The Brisbane City Council says more than 200 homes and businesses along the river are at risk, most at Rocklea, Albion, Milton and Auchenflower.
Police are advising all residents in low-lying parts of Strathpine and Dayboro to the north of Brisbane to evacuate to higher ground immediately.
Caboolture is isolated so evacuation out of town by car is impossible. Police are saying that people in low-lying areas who can should move to higher ground or prepare for rising water.
- Suburbs at risk
- Transport services
- Current weather warnings
- Send us your flood photos
- Road closures
- In an emergency call the SES on 132 500
- Donate to the national flood appeal
The threat to Brisbane comes after an inland tsunami swept through Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley yesterday, leaving nine people dead and 66 missing.
That wave of brown water is now making its way towards the Brisbane River and catchment areas, where the capital's defence of Wivenhoe Dam is struggling to hold back the deluge.
Officials have had to increase the amount of water being released from Wivenhoe because of major inflows coming from the Lockyer and Brisbane valleys.
The river has broken its banks in parts of West End and water is reportedly slowly creeping onto roads in low-lying areas there.
Buildings in Fortitude Valley and businesses at Eagle Street Pier in the city are also being evacuated.
The potentially looming disaster in the city is being made worse by cut and congested mobile phone lines, making communication difficult. Vodafone customers have been without reception for most of the morning.
People have been asked to stay off telephones unless absolutely necessary to avoid congesting lines for emergency services.
Staying dry
Jodie Craig, who owns the Joynt Hotel on Montague Road in West End, is trying to move belongings to the upper floors of the hotel.
"Up until last night I was freaking out a bit and then this morning I've just been watching the news and I guess I should start doing something," she said.
"I'm going to take all my electrical equipment and stuff that's worth a lot of money upstairs and hopefully it'll be safe up there."
Ms Craig says the ground floor of the hotel was completely submerged in the 1974 floods and she hopes the Wivenhoe Dam is enough to hold back the water this time.
She says she has been without phone reception for several hours and is unsure if police are wanting people to evacuate.
"The road's pretty busy. It's not like there's anyone in uniform telling us to leave," she said.
"I'm really clueless as to what's going on. People are just telling me West End's been told to evacuate. I really don't know. I'll just get my stuff up."
The council in Ipswich has downgraded its expected flood peak of 19 metres.
The Bremer River is now likely to peak tonight at 17.2 metres - two metres lower than during the disastrous 1974 floods.
About 400 streets are expected to be fully or partially under water.
The Ipswich showgrounds has been set up as the town's major evacuation centre. It will also accommodate pets.
No insurance
Being so close to the river means Ms Craig is unable to get flood insurance.
"That's why I wanted to get all the stuff that's the most important to me," she said.
"I mean I'm not going to worry about furniture and things like that, there's not really much I can do."
Police say they have not ordered any evacuations of West End residents or businesses yet but with a high tide expected in just over two hours and a large volume of water still moving down the Brisbane River, that situation could change.
Police have stationed several officers along Riverside Drive between Orleigh Park and the Go Between Bridge at West End.
They are now turning back traffic trying to access Riverside Drive after the decision was made earlier today to close the road.
Translink says bus services have been suspended in the Caboolture, Redcliffe and Burpengary areas because of flooding.
Train services through to the Sunshine Coast are still running.
A telephone hotline - 1300 993 191 - has been set up for people seeking information on friends and relatives caught up in the flooding disaster.
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Last edited by woob; 01-10-2011 at 11:23 PM.
Reason: formatting
Its getting pretty intense. I few guys that I live with here in Japan have houses there and everyday they're just hoping that its still there. They're all pretty stressed out.
TL;DR - 13-year old boy tells rescuer to save his 10-year-old brother first, dies after flood washes him away.
Quote:
Jordan Rice, brother Blake and mother Donna were forced to climb on the roof of their car after they were caught in the flood about 2pm on Monday.
The tragic rescue saw a good Samaritan truck driver save Blake, while Donna tried to grab Jordan, 13, after he became separated from the tree the pair was clinging to.
Ms Rice's devastated partner of about 30 years and father to her four children, John Tyson, said Jordan couldn't swim and was terrified of water.
"(The truck driver) went to grab Jordan first, who said, 'Save me brother'. I can only imagine the fear coursing through his body,'' Mr Tyson, 46, said.
"He won't go down with any fanfare or anything like that - I don't think anyone will even wear a black armband for him - but he's just the champion of all champions, a family hero.''
Mr Tyson should have spent last night celebrating his 46th birthday, but was instead at a morgue.
Donna, Jordan and Blake, 10, were just minutes away from picking up eldest child Chris at his house when the car became stuck near the intersection of James and Kitchener Sts in Toowoomba.
The water was only up to the car wheels, but the engine stopped.
Ms Rice could only ring 000 because her mobile phone had run out of credit.
The family was told to stay put and they climbed on to the roof of the car as the floodwaters rose.
Mr Tyson said bystanders looked on until the semi-trailer driver wrapped some rope around himself and jumped in.
The truck driver rescued Blake, 10, first at Jordan's direction.
The rope broke as he went back to get Jordan and Donna, forcing the pair to cling to a tree.
"Jordan was swept off,'' Mr Tyson said.
"As soon as he went, Donna just let go, you know trying to clutch at him. "The poor little bugger, they just both drowned.''
Mr Tyson said he desperately wanted to make contact with the truck driver, who is described as scrawny.
The cement renderer said he would never have let the trio go if he knew there was any sort of risk.
"It really wasn't raining that hard (when they left),'' Mr Tyson said.
"I said to her, 'You be careful in the rain' but not for one instant if I thought there was any sort of risk would I ever have let her go by herself. I wouldn't have even let her go.''
Mr Tyson said his partner of about 30 years was the best mother who loved cooking and gardening.
"I'm great on a shovel, but she done everything else,'' he said.
"I don't even know where I'm going to start.
He described Jordan as a good kid who loved music and drawing.
"He was a very quiet kid,'' Mr Tyson said.
"He was the exact opposite to all the others. He'd wear purple and chrome boots and red skinny jeans and one of those real sad penguin golf shirts.''
Mr Tyson said the family were originally going to have a birthday dinner for him last night.
"I would never know what it was but she would make sure (she would cook) something I'd like to eat.
"At the end of the day I guess it's just the worst birthday I've ever had in my life.''
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