Brisbane Battens Down the Hatches as River Peak Looms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of residents of Brisbane are rushing to evacuate homes and move to higher ground as the region's worst flood in decades bore down on the city.


Anna Bligh, the state's premier who has spearheaded the official response to the unfolding disaster, warned the country's third largest city would wake up to unprecedented damage.

"Brisbane will go to sleep tonight and wake up to scenes many will never have seen before in their lives," she warned.

The death toll from devastating floods swamping south-east Queensland climbed to 12, with another 43 people missing, the state capital Brisbane braced for more than 50 suburbs to be inundated with rapidly rising water.

The most recent estimates suggest that 20,000 homes, 3,500 businesses and 2,100 roads will be hit by the massive flood as the swollen Brisbane River peaks at 17ft early on Thursday morning.

In preparation, residents in affluent riverside suburbs rushed to save their most precious belongings as the water steadily inched higher throughout the day. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Australia floods: Brisbane waters peak lower than feared: Torrents inundate Australian city but flood waters peak at 4.46m, considerably lower than expected >>> Owen Bowcott | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

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Australia Floods: Thousands Flee Their Homes in Brisbane as Floodwaters Surge
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents are rushing to empty their homes and evacuate to higher ground before the Brisbane River reaches a peak of 18ft on Thursday.


As the death toll from the devastating floods swamping Queensland rose to 12, with another 51 people missing, the state capital braced for widespread flooding across more than 50 suburbs.

In what Anna Bligh, the premier, called “the worst natural disaster in our history”, the most recent estimates suggest that 19,700 homes and 3,500 businesses will be hit by the rapidly rising water.

In preparation, residents of low-lying neighbourhoods were trying to protect their homes with sandbags and tarpaulins and remove their most precious possessions before the peak.

In some places water rose more than three feet in a matter of hours, catching many homeowners off-guard. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia floods: compelling sight of endless debris in Brisbane River – There are two compelling sights in flood-ravaged Queensland at the moment as the Brisbane River rages to its predicted devastating peak of 18 feet. >>> Jacquelin Magnay, Queensland | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Brisbane floods leave city centre deserted as thousands flee: Officials warn that worst is yet to come / Death toll since weekend rises to 12 >>> Alison Rourke in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

ZEIT ONLINE: FLUT IN AUSTRALIEN: "Hier herrscht das totale Chaos" – Die Hochwasserlage in der australischen Millionenstadt hat sich deutlich verschärft. Verantwortliche rechnen mit einer Überflutung nicht gekannten Ausmaßes. >>> Zeit Online | Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011

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Brisbane – floods 2008. Photo: Google Images
Australian Floods: Brisbane Threatened by Rising Waters
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The devastating floods that are sweeping through Queensland have reached the outer suburbs of the state's capital Brisbane and now threaten some of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

Heavy rain on Sunday fell on Australia's Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, prompting warnings of flash flooding, and a close watch was also being kept on the Gold Coast, a major draw for the state's tourism industry and an essential part of Queensland's economy.

At one of the region's busiest times of year for tourism, holidaymakers have been warned to stay away from campsites close to rivers. The bad weather and flood warnings are a further blow to Queensland tourism, which is already estimated to have suffered losses of $1bn (£640 million) as a result of the floods.

Brett Harrison, a weather forecaster, said there had been reports of flooding in low-lying areas of Brisbane and the situation was expected to worsen. Some basements and underground car parks were filling with water.

"It is not in the city at the moment but it is certainly going to increase over the next 24 to 48 hours. We are expecting heavy rain to continue during that time," he said. "There is a possibility of moderate to major flooding for areas west of Brisbane." >>> Bonnie Malkin, Rockhampton | Sunday, January 09, 2011

Brisbane Floods: Queensland Facing Reconstruction 'of Post-war Proportions'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's third largest city is facing a clean-up of "post-war" proportions as thousands of residents returned to assess the damage caused to their homes by the biggest flood to hit Brisbane in decades.


The death toll from the floods sweeping the state's south-east rose to 15 during the day after a 25-year-old man was sucked down a storm drain to his death in the city when he went to check on his father's flooded home.

The Brisbane River peaked at 14ft overnight but the drama continued during the day with several dramatic rescues carried out on the fast-flowing water.

A man in a dinghy rescued two people from a boat that was careening down the river without power, and another man was plucked out of the torrent after he fell in from one of the riverbanks.

The rescues came hours after a tugboat helped avert disaster by nudging a large piece of floating concrete away from the supports of a major city bridge.

An estimated 50 suburbs across Brisbane have been swamped with dirty, muddy water and 11,900 homes have been hit by serious flood damage.

Another 14,000 properties and 6,000 businesses are partially flooded.

In some of the worst hit areas, residents who had fled to high ground with as many possessions as they could fit into their cars returned to survey the damage. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Thursday, January 13, 2011

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Australia Floods: Residents Warned Against Entering Flooded Suburbs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Brisbane's flood deadly dangers held a world class city its its grip, one man succumbed to an unfortunate ending.


Officials last night revealed that an unnamed 24-year-old man was swept into a storm drain while inspecting his father's flooded property in Durack, just south of the city, during the inundation.

The man's body was found by police after being washed through the drain and surfacing on the other side. He has not yet been named.

His death prompted Anna Bligh, the state's premier, to reissue warnings about entering the murky floodwater.

"Right now we don't want to see any more loss of life and we don't want to see any injuries," she said.

"I do understand how keen everybody is to get back into their houses, to go out and have a look at what's happened to their neighbourhoods but these are still rapidly moving, swirling, dangerous waters." >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Thursday, January 13, 2011

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