Hey everyone!!!
I live about 1400 miles north of what you'd have heard about,but it's still the same storm system that we had abt 2 weeks ago that's moved all the way down the Qld coast.
We in north Queensland got flooded out about 2 weeks ago but we live in a tropical monsoon area where lots of rain and cyclones(called hurricanes in the northern hemishere)are a part of life so we're used to it and probably cope better than those down south.It happens about every 8 years or so.
a week ago it was central Qld in the news with flooding and once again they are used to it but the lie of there land makes the flooding a bit more serious there.Their last serious flooding was only abt 3 yrs ago.
Now Brisbane (where the flooding currently is) is the capital city of Queensland and has it's own set of problems.
First of all is the population.It's abt 2 or 3 million people I think.So it's a sprawling metropilis stretching maybe 50 odd miles inland.
Brisbane is also quite a hilly place which also means plenty of low lying areas to get flooded.Because it's hilly the rivers and creeks are well defined and narrow and deep.This means when it floods it's not wide and shallow like further up north,it's contained within it's banks and runs VERY deep.Until it breaks it's banks as in now.The last time this happened in Brisbane was 1974.
Latest I've heard on the news is that 20,000 homes and 3500 business premises will be underwater at the peak expected in about 7 1/2 hours from now.
There have been 12 confirmed fatalities and currently 43 people unaccounted for.
They are telling us the economic ramifications are going to surpass your Hurricane Katrina.
You see,some 30 odd percent of Australia's fruit and veg are grown in the flood affected areas west of Brisbane.
Our premier (Same as your congressman I think?) I have never thought much of as in the past she has a record of mismanagement and generally stuffing anything she touches.However....I have to admit her handling of this disater is nothing short of faultless.The emergency services she is deploying,evacuations,warnings to the public appear to be extremely well organised and executed.
I have only heard of one mopar being lost yet.An RT charger clone that was swept away abt 2 hours north of Brisbane.
I hope the above gives you good people some perspective of the situation.
Anyway,have a look at this.It's top amateur footage!!!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Toowoomba Flood 2011.01.10[/ame]
