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| Down Under |
| Qld floods: waters drop, only 15 dead but many homes trashed |
| 2011-01-13 |
| From the ABC - good links to resources at the site too and further info regularly updated --- Floodwaters recede to reveal ugly aftermath Many suburbs across Brisbane are re-emerging as floodwaters retreat, allowing thousands of residents to make the emotional return home and begin the clean-up. The Brisbane River has dropped to 2.4 metres after yesterday's 4.46-metre peak that left 26,000 homes either inundated or partially flooded. Fifteen people have been confirmed dead as a result of southern Queensland's flood crisis, with the number of missing being revised down to 55. Authorities say they hold grave concerns for 12. Energex crews worked through the night to restore power, but 65,000 homes and businesses in the south-east are still without electricity - most of those are in the Brisbane area. The Defence Force is trucking in essential food and other supplies to the outlying suburbs of Bellbowrie and Moggill in Brisbane's west. A Black Hawk helicopter will also drop supplies to the Mount Crosby State School. Officials are encouraging residents to help flood-affected friends and neighbours as they begin the clean-up, while earthmoving equipment and other machinery is being organised to clear major roads of debris. The Bremer River is also falling quickly at Ipswich where 3,000 homes were flooded. The weather bureau says the river has fallen to just over 10 metres. Elizabeth Lusk, the owner of an optometry business in flood-ravaged Rosalie, says 1.5 metres of water came through the practice. "It's a total write-off. The walls are warped, external walls, pretty much everything," she said. "We have good flood insurance, but it's still not going to cover the total rebuild. "I was expecting it to be bad; we've also got a practice in Ipswich that went under and that was better than we expected, so we were crossing our fingers. "But this is probably twice as bad as Ipswich, so it was a bit of a shock this morning." Unlucky break Gourmet Market owner Norris Lewis says his business would have survived unscathed if it were not for "Now we've got this huge clean up," he said. "We've had 10 volunteers, we don't even know them... we've just kept up the cups of tea and sandwiches. It's a great bonding exercise." Broncos legend Kevin Walters is in Rosalie helping with the clean-up. "I can see lots of people from the community here helping out." "I'm just like everybody else here today." "What can you say? What can you do but pitch in and help?" Rose Kelso has spent the day cleaning her aunt's house in Yeronga. She experienced the floods of 1974 and says cleaning up as soon as possible is essential. "We're just trying to get the mud out now and cleaning the kitchen gear that we didn't get out and getting the mud out, so that smell that we know will happen isn't too bad inside," she said. Frustration, Police say residents who are in need of urgent food supplies can seek help at an evacuation centre set up at the Moggill Uniting Church. Moggill resident Anna says people are frustrated about being isolated for so long without power. "All our retail area in Bellbowrie is under water, is closed off, so there's no food, no petrol, no medical services, no vet, nothing. "So people are really frustrated. All our freezers are defrosting. We can't keep milk. We're running out of supplies." Meanwhile, at least six people have been charged with looting-related offences in Brisbane and Ipswich. Don't assume they are guilty. The "looting squads" would be hyperactively wanting to justify their jobs and these people may not have been looting at all. Only know after court hearing. Deputy Commissioner Ian Stewart says two men and a woman have been caught by water police at the mouth of Brisbane River. "Police intercepted these people while they were doing proactive looting patrols and located two males and a female with property in the boat which is suspected of being stolen," he said. in the chaos it is likely people can have stuff in their boats of their friends and neighbours that they are trying to save not loot. an overactive copper can not know the difference. i think it unlikely. not many people would loot in this situation Some Brisbane residents are sleeping in their cars to keep an eye on their flooded homes. Doods Manalansan says he has spent the past two nights in his car at Rocklea because he is concerned thieves will loot his home. "At this moment I don't know whether we stay here or [are] going to go back there when the water is gone, or we don't know where we are going to go now - for the meantime we stay here," he said. Banding together Local communities across Brisbane are also banding together to start the flood clean-up. Graceville State School in Brisbane's south-west is today hosting a community response meeting. Richard Newsome from the school's P&C committee says residents will be able to volunteer for specific jobs, nominate areas that need urgent attention and learn the latest from local authorities. "There's going to be a lot of people who are a bit unsure about what the immediate future looks like," he said. "I think it'll be a meeting where people can come together and grab some solace from their friendship and hopefully then just move on and get the next step started which is the clean-up." He says local police, the council and other community leaders will address the meeting. "It's really an information session for the locals, but also it's a chance for people who do need help to put down their names and their addresses and the type of assistance they need and people who are willing to volunteer and have particular skills. "We can gather their names and email addresses and that way we can start putting together taskgroups and forming little clean-up bucket and mop brigades." Transport services Public transport services will increase in Brisbane and Ipswich today as flooded roads reopen. More than 160 bus routes across the city will be operating on a modified Sunday timetable. Translink says buses, ferries and trains will be free until January 21. Twenty-five regular routes will remain suspended until further notice, particularly in the western suburbs of Toowong and Indooroopilly and around the University of Queensland and West End. Nightlink services will not be running. Queensland Rail services will continue to operate hourly in and out of Brisbane's CBD where it is safe to do so. CityCat and ferry services remain suspended until further notice. Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says the council will try to get roads open as quickly as possible. "Coronation Drive is basically free of floodwaters but it's covered with silt and we need to get the equipment in there and we'll be doing that today to open it up," he said. "We've got to get the traffic signals back on, we've got to get the traffic cameras back in operation." Me Newman says cleaning up suburban streets will require a united approach. "We are going to ask the various volunteers with private plant equipment and our own assets, and potentially the Army, to help us do that job so people can get back into their homes," he said. |
| Posted by:anon1 |