Queensland floods unprecedented

The widespread and devastating flooding in Queensland is being labelled as a "one in a hundred year event."

The city of Rockhampton is completely surrounded by flood waters. (Photo: AFP Photo/Torsten Blackwood)

Open Gallery

THE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN Queensland is unprecedented and the state is facing a multi-billion dollar infrastructure catastrophe, an opposition frontbencher has warned the Federal Government.

"We will need a huge effort from the government to assist local government and the state government to rebuild the roads and bridges," Liberal MP Ian Macfarlane told ABC Radio today.

The minister has seen first-hand the devastation an "inland tsunami" caused to Toowoomba (see the video below), the largest centre in his Darling Downs electorate of Groom, on Monday.

"We're looking at a multi-billion dollar repair bill, not just in my electorate but in Dalby, in western Queensland and, obviously, up in the flooded regions of Rockhampton, and Maryborough and Gympie," he said. Damage to roads alone would run into the "hundreds of millions of dollars".

"As a result of this flooding, we could be looking at a multi-billion dollar infrastructure catastrophe in Queensland," he said. "And that, of course, hasn't ended yet."

Queensland floods a one-in-a-hundred-year event

The Bureau of Meteorology's Jim Davidson said Monday's super rain storm was a "one in 100 year event".

Premier Anna Bligh said evacuations were continuing across the Lockyer Valley, with people being moved out of Toogoolawah and Esk, and Forest Hill about halfway between Toowoomba and Brisbane. Evacuations are also taking place at the inland town of Nanango, north of Toowoomba.

"Cherbourg is cut off and food supplies are being taken in," the premier added. She said the major route between Ipswich and Toowoomba was cut and people must stay off the roads.

Ipswich was likely to see the water levels peaking in the next 24 hours, she added. In Brisbane, water levels would hit a high mark on Wednesday and Thursday. Authorities have made repeated warnings for people to stay out of floodwaters. "This water is deadly and it's not to be played with," the premier said.

QLD government says flood destruction was unpredictable

Queensland's Emergency Services Minister says no one could have predicted the scale of destruction brought by the state's floods, which have claimed at least eight lives, and possibly up to 20.

Neil Roberts has praised the efforts of rescue workers who plucked some 40 stranded residents from the roofs of their homes late yesterday and early today, but he says another 60 people in a similar situation still need help.

He said the hard work of the emergency services will continue today, with rescuers scrambling to find the dozens of people listed as missing. A release of water from the Wivenhoe Dam is expected today to accommodate floodwaters heading towards Brisbane, he said.

How the Toowoomba flash flood devleoped


RELATED ARTICLES
Qld flood: did the dams work?
Personal perspective: inside the flood clean up
World's first live flood test yields vital data
Queensland floods unprecedented
Kangaroo boom follows QLD floods
Water quality concerns plague Queensland
Predict weather without a forecast
Tracking cyclones in Australia
WA town hit by cyclone-related tornado
Earthquakes: 10 biggest in history
10 most destructive tsunamis in history
Biggest cyclones in history
Timeline: Australia's worst cyclones
On this day in history: Sydney's worst hail storm
On this day: Sydney supercell hailstorm
When dust storms descend
True force of Cyclone Yasi may never be known
Tropical cyclone facts and figures
...More natural disaster stories
...More 2011 Queensland flood stories

Home to a warm climate and the crystal clear waters of the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland is a tropical paradise. Off the coast lies the Great Barrier Reef, a breathtaking coral system abounding in exotic fish and spectacular colours. The lush World Heritage-listed Daintree forest in the far north provide some relief from the heat, while further inland, the Simpson Desert’s earthy red dunes offer a stark change of scene.