Brisbane Residents told to Prepare for the Worst

Brisbane residents have been warned that the biggest impact of the floodwaters may not be felt until next week. 10-Jan 18:20 Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has told residents to brace themselves for a potential "worst case" flooding scenario that could affect a significant number of homes. According to the Brisbane Times, Mr Newman has said the the Brisbane River could rise "significantly" due to a combination of heavy rain, necessary releases from Wivenhoe Dam and king tides. Flood modelling suggests the biggest impact will be felt today and Friday next week, when there will also be a king tide. 'This is currently the projected worst case scenario for the next few days and I hope it doesn't happen, but people need to be forewarned so they can prepare themselves for flooding,'' said Mr Newman. He says there is no need for residents to panic but they should assess council flood maps to analyse their risk. The Brisbane River is expected to peak today at up to half a metre higher than yesterday, with 4000 cubic metres of water flowing along the river every second. In Queensland, eleven people have died since late November and about 200,000 have been affected by the floods. Roads and rail lines have been cut, Queensland's big-exporting coal mine industry has virtually shut down, and cattle ranching and farming across a large part of the state are at a standstill. Yesterday, a raging torrent of muddy water swamped the city of Toowoomba, west of the state capital Brisbane, killing one female pedestrian and trapping others in cars and leaving some clinging to trees as relentless rains brought more misery to a region battling its worst flooding in decades. Residents of some of the affected communities have returned home and begun mopping up sludge left behind by the floods, while others - including in the city of Rockhampton, home to 75,000 people - are still waiting for floodwaters to recede to start the cleanup. Queensland officials have said the price of rebuilding homes, businesses and infrastructure, coupled with economic losses, could be as high as $5 billion. Australia's worst flooding in some 50 years was caused by tropical rains that fell for days, starting just before Christmas. Some 1,200 homes were inundated and almost 11,000 more have water damage. Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated, and many are still staying with friends or in relief shelters. 3 News / AP  3 News -  http://www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articleID=193808 Colon Health: Fibre System   $26.95             ITEM #7180  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50