Flooding in Australia
@RawBill1 (8531)
Gold Coast, Australia
January 21, 2011 4:32am CST
I know that there have been a few flooding discussions in recent times and that most people here would be aware of the recent floods here in Australia that are still happening in different regions throughout this vast land, but I just felt compelled to add something different that I saw the other day.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/qld-floods/beforeafter.htm
The link above is an interesting concept as it provides satellite images of the flooding around Brisbane in Queensland before and during the floods. If you hover on an image, you can slide a bar across to see the normal view and flooded view overlaid to compare.
The flooding in the state of Queensland was over a massive area. Queensland is twice the size of Texas, four times the size of Japan and six times the size of the UK! Seventy five percent of this was under water. Could you imagine the fatalities and destruction if this happened in Texas, Japan or the UK? 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2%80%932011_Queensland_floods#Toowoomba_flash_flood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt-FT-skins
Queensland was not the only state affected, but it has received most of the media attention from what I can tell. Northern New South Wales to the south, northern Western Australia, Tasmania and now Victoria are other states that have been affected by flooding. The situation in Victoria is extremely bad right now! When you add these areas together, it is very hard to imagine just how big an area has been covered by water in the last few weeks.
Australia has been in drought for many years. The last 12 months or so have seen a fair bit of this type of flooding. Soon we will no doubt be back in drought again. This is Australia for you. Extreme!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2%80%932011_Queensland_floods#Toowoomba_flash_flood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt-FT-skins
Queensland was not the only state affected, but it has received most of the media attention from what I can tell. Northern New South Wales to the south, northern Western Australia, Tasmania and now Victoria are other states that have been affected by flooding. The situation in Victoria is extremely bad right now! When you add these areas together, it is very hard to imagine just how big an area has been covered by water in the last few weeks.
Australia has been in drought for many years. The last 12 months or so have seen a fair bit of this type of flooding. Soon we will no doubt be back in drought again. This is Australia for you. Extreme!4 people like this
11 responses
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
21 Jan 11
Thanks for the links. I don't think people realise (including me) how huge Australia really is.
I heard something interesting the other day..that if Global Warming DOES exist then Australia will be the first to experience it.
I remember a few years back when there was a hole in the ozone layer above Australia and there was a big push on with free sun tan lotion given out to beach lovers in a bid to stave off skin cancer. I've no idea if the hole in the ozone layer is "fixed" (if that's the right word) but it is scary that your great nation seems to be pummelled with disasters. The resilience of the locals never fails to amaze me - it reminds me of the Carlisle floods a while back. Yes, they were on a much smaller scale but the effects are the same and people DO come together in times like these.
Would Brits emigrate to Brisbane? I don't know too much about the place, I'm ashamed to say. We know people that emigrated to Perth and I know it's like an administrative centre..but Brisbane? You're going to have to educate me about the place, if that's OK?
I remember a few years back when there was a hole in the ozone layer above Australia and there was a big push on with free sun tan lotion given out to beach lovers in a bid to stave off skin cancer. I've no idea if the hole in the ozone layer is "fixed" (if that's the right word) but it is scary that your great nation seems to be pummelled with disasters. The resilience of the locals never fails to amaze me - it reminds me of the Carlisle floods a while back. Yes, they were on a much smaller scale but the effects are the same and people DO come together in times like these.
Would Brits emigrate to Brisbane? I don't know too much about the place, I'm ashamed to say. We know people that emigrated to Perth and I know it's like an administrative centre..but Brisbane? You're going to have to educate me about the place, if that's OK?1 person likes this
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
21 Jan 11
Thanks Janey. You might want to check out Bill's profile & his earliest discussions profiling QLD & in particular the Gold Coast where he lives (for now!). You might prefer living in Adelaide for your first move Down Under. It more closely resembles a small English city than any other capital & has just been voted Australia's Most Livable City:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/local/8694434/adelaide-crowned-nations-most-livable-city/
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Hi Jane, yes, the English come here and settle all over the place! I know people who I met in London that have settled an hour north of Brisbane in the same suburb as MoonchildAU actually! I think that Brisbane is a nice city. It is fairly small compared to Sydney or Melbourne and it has a feel that is completely different to those cities due to it's smaller size. Much like Adelaide or Perth I guess.
It is currently the 3rd largest city in Australia, but if people keep moving here, it could end up blending together with my city of the Gold Coast which is less than an hours drive south. Brisbane is growing, and the Gold Coast is growing north to meet it. I read a few years ago that the area is predicted to meet up as the largest city in Australia within 20 years! It has definitely the fastest growing region consistently for a number of years and will continue to be for years to come.
Yes Veganbliss, Adelaide IS a nice city and it would make Jane feel at home with all those big old churches you reportedly have! I did not see too many there though. The ones in Melbourne remind me more of the great big churches with high steeples in England.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
23 Jan 11
I think that wild life would have had it better than domesticated animals. Wild animals are pretty smart and would have known to get to higher ground early I think. Animals like Kangaroos and snakes are good swimmers anyway, so they would have been alright. Others live in trees, so they would have been safe too I think.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
I am sure that lots of animals would have been lost Jen. I have not heard anything about losses of animal life in the media. I have not looked into the details of it either. I just do not think I want to know! 
I know that a lot of animals were relocated to higher ground beforehand. I heard of animal shelters closing and getting all the animals to the houses of volunteers for a week or however long it took. I also heard of horses being taken to other places such as pony clubs and other properties away from the danger. But I did see quite a few photos of horses swimming, cows stranded on the roofs of homes and freeway overpasses.
I know that a lot of animals were relocated to higher ground beforehand. I heard of animal shelters closing and getting all the animals to the houses of volunteers for a week or however long it took. I also heard of horses being taken to other places such as pony clubs and other properties away from the danger. But I did see quite a few photos of horses swimming, cows stranded on the roofs of homes and freeway overpasses.
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
21 Jan 11
My friend was telling me something interesting tonight.
Since they build the dam to protect Brisbane from flooding, they were suppose to release water everyday in order to keep it empty in case of flooding.
But instead, they started using the dam as a water supply for Brisbane. And they kept it full. As a result, when the flooding came, the dam could not serve its purpose of protecting Brisbane.
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
According to their website http://www.seqwater.com.au/public/catch-store-treat/dams/wivenhoe-dam they did build it with both flood mitigation and water storage in mind.
That is a great link Veganbliss. As I was away for the start of that heavy rain period leading up to the flooding I had no idea of just how much it had been raining just before it. I knew it had been a lot, but for the dam to go from 100% to almost 200% in four days is incredible!
We can criticise the authorities all we like for not letting out more water beforehand and plenty of people are doing this, but the reality is that the dam did it's job. The levels did not get as deep as 1974. Sure there was a lot of damage, but it could have been a lot worse. Another day of heavy rain and who knows what the outcome might have been! What it does show is that nature cannot be beaten. We can do everything in our power to avoid catastrophe, but then nature will come up with something unpredictable to throw in our faces. We need to show more respect and not build on these flood prone areas in the first place!
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
23 Jan 11
Too right! It's the people that are to blame in this case. Inappropriate house types, inappropriate locations, inappropriate insurance & being too complacent to take proper precautions.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
21 Jan 11
The Government, under pressure from the Opposition, has just released the manuals for the dam. In earlier news, here's a fairly detailed link explaining the situation a little more:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/8691144/qa-dam-expert-analyses-wivenhoe/
1 person likes this
@moonchild1au (6237)
• Australia
21 Jan 11
That's definitely our beautiful country for you - we go from 1 extreme to the other unless you're in Melbourne where you can have 4 seasons in 1 day 
. I remember seeing the "tsunami" in one of the main streets of Toowoomba on Sky News...Toowoomba "NEVER" floods due to it being on higher ground than Brisbane & Ipswich!
I remember being in Mackay in Feb 2008, we were lucky not to lose our house in those floods as 3 doors down from us had water in their house - The SES even came to evacuate us but I told them if I couldn't take my dog, I wasn't going & my daughter was 8 months old at the time! I REALLY feel for the victims.
. I remember seeing the "tsunami" in one of the main streets of Toowoomba on Sky News...Toowoomba "NEVER" floods due to it being on higher ground than Brisbane & Ipswich!
I remember being in Mackay in Feb 2008, we were lucky not to lose our house in those floods as 3 doors down from us had water in their house - The SES even came to evacuate us but I told them if I couldn't take my dog, I wasn't going & my daughter was 8 months old at the time! I REALLY feel for the victims.@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Yeah, I was shocked when I first heard about Toowoomba. My wife told me and I asked how? The place is on top of a mountain! But as soon as I heard it was a flash flood, I could understand as the centre of town is in a little valley compared to some of the outlying parts of town. It is still incredible though, not something you would ever expect living there!
That must have been frightening for you in Mackay. I remember that as I know people that live there and wondered how they were at the time! It has been incredibly sad, but it was no where near as bad as the devastation in Pakistan last year. Lucky we only have a small population hey!
1 person likes this
@moonchild1au (6237)
• Australia
22 Jan 11
We defitely are lucky we only have a small population here in Australia! I wasn't scared in the Mackay floods but at the time, I had only just had my mother's belongings delivered to my house & it was all sitting in my carport as I had no room in my house & was still going through it all & was worried that I would lose valuable items to flood/water damage.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
23 Jan 11
Yeah, floods in Queensland happen every year Alice. It is not uncommon, but they are not usually as bad or wide spread as they have been this time. I think the fact that five other states have had flooding at the same time over a massive area, makes this time a lot worse as well.
@NYRican (82)
• United States
21 Jan 11
I've heard the news, I hope everyone can get back on their feet soon. My heart and prayers go out to everyone.
I don't watch the news ever except for the weather, the news makes everything sound like this has never happened before, global warming, or the end of days, or something like that. Natural disasters have been around since before we were born.
Puerto Rico had a few earthquakes recently, I didn't know that could happen over there, so I thought maybe the news was right, but my mom told me they used to happen all the time when she was little.
Again my heart and prayers go out to everyone, stay safe.
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Thanks for your thoughts. I am sure the people suffering would appreciate the fact that people all over the world are thinking of them. I do not watch the news or buy newspapers normally, but I do listen to the radio most days. I did watch the TV news once while it was all happening, just because I know these areas that were affected. But it got too much to handle very quickly. It was on every TV channel for a long time as well as the leading story on radio news every hour. After a while it starts to bring you down hearing about all the devastating stories.
The spirit of the people will help to get everyone back into normal lives fairly quickly. We Aussies tend to get in and get dirty helping those in need in times like these. The response from ordinary people wanting to volunteer their assistance has been amazing! 
The spirit of the people will help to get everyone back into normal lives fairly quickly. We Aussies tend to get in and get dirty helping those in need in times like these. The response from ordinary people wanting to volunteer their assistance has been amazing! @veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
21 Jan 11
Good Work, mate. All this on the back of a ten year drought too. It'll probably only get worse in the future & more often too. You'd think people would learn since 1974 (when the water in Brissy was a little higher, but the population was much, much less) to not rely on that dam & build proper houses in the right places. Fewer lives could have been lost. It's not the planning authorities fault, nor even the dam operators really, it's the fault of the people who want things cheaper & more convenient at any cost! Why would anyone want to build on a concrete slab in a known flood risk area? Why the heck did they take out their flood insurance with a company other than Suncorp (after their promise of blanket cover of any type of flooding, regardless, after the Gympie floods in 2008)? Then they have the nerve to bad-mouth AAMI & other companies when they already knew the score! Sure, sometimes it's unavoidable, but precautions should have & could have been taken & when things do go wrong, blame your own short-comings & not the authorities. I know it's easy to say all this from here, but if you're going to live somewhere with a history of natural disasters, then please do not take shortcuts in preparing for them!
. All this on the back of a ten year drought too. It'll probably only get worse in the future & more often too. You'd think people would learn since 1974 (when the water in Brissy was a little higher, but the population was much, much less) to not rely on that dam & build proper houses in the right places. Fewer lives could have been lost. It's not the planning authorities fault, nor even the dam operators really, it's the fault of the people who want things cheaper & more convenient at any cost! Why would anyone want to build on a concrete slab in a known flood risk area? Why the heck did they take out their flood insurance with a company other than Suncorp (after their promise of blanket cover of any type of flooding, regardless, after the Gympie floods in 2008)? Then they have the nerve to bad-mouth AAMI & other companies when they already knew the score! Sure, sometimes it's unavoidable, but precautions should have & could have been taken & when things do go wrong, blame your own short-comings & not the authorities. I know it's easy to say all this from here, but if you're going to live somewhere with a history of natural disasters, then please do not take shortcuts in preparing for them! @RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Yeah, I think these events will be more extreme and more often in future years. Especially with global temperatures being hotter than ever melting ice and snow in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The river levels are only going to get higher in coastal cities around the world! 2010 was the wettest on record for Australia too I think I read somewhere!
If you go here: http://www.seqwater.com.au/public/catch-store-treat/dams/wivenhoe-dam You will see a chart when you scroll down which shows that they must have let the water out of Wivenhoe each time that it went over 100% last year. Then there is the massive spike this month. But, this is 'their' chart and they could make it read anything on the screen I guess!
Yes, it beats me why people take short cuts on their insurance when they live in these areas! 
Did you see the first image of Suncorp Stadium where they play Rugby. It is now a swimming pool! 
Did you see the first image of Suncorp Stadium where they play Rugby. It is now a swimming pool! 
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
21 Jan 11
I have spent my whle life in what seems like a constant flood! LOL. Of course that's not true and I can only imagine how horrific these floods must be to Queenslanders. Australia is a land of extremes of course. Over here we tend to view you guys as all clinging round the edge of a vast land mass that only farmers and explorers ever penetrate. But the damage inland is horrible and I hope that you have not been too affected personally.
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Thanks my friend, no damage here other than the emotions of course as it was terrible to see all of the suffering due to the loss of family and homes. Most of the population does cling to the edge of the East Coast, but there is an incredibly large amount of land in the middle of the country. These desert areas get little rain but have had a good soaking over the last 12 months as a lot of water that fell as rain in Queensland, flows inland through these desert regions and down to South Australia. The amount of area this water covers as it flows is probably like rain in Scotland flowing all the way to Greece or something!
The good thing I guess is that these inland areas come alive after the water flows through them.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
21 Jan 11
Good discussion, Bill. I see pictures of the flooding on tv but your discussion makes it more clear. I'm glad your family has not had it. I think weather conditions are getting worse everywhere. There sure have been alot of bad things going on all over the world due to weather. Stay safe.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Thanks. Could you open these links on this discussion?
Yes, it is certainly getting scary the way that extreme weather situations seem to be popping up more regularly these days. Drastic changes in the way we live might be in order I think!
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
24 Jan 11
They are incredible images...It is all very extreme; we’ve gone from droughts to floods and one half of the country was burning while the other is drowning. The video says it all really about how frightening the flood situation is and my heart goes out to all those affected especially the ones who are lost.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
24 Jan 11
Hi Paula. Yes it is pretty bad out there. How was the force of the water in that video! Incredible to see right in the middle of a built up city! I really feel for these people too. Especially those caught out by the flash flooding. It is not like they built in a traditional coastal flood plain or anything so they would not be expecting anything like that!
1 person likes this
@tigeraunt (6326)
• Philippines
21 Jan 11
hi rawbill,
we see the news on tv but i have never seen the vast reaches of the flooding like the pictures you have shown here. you have made a really huge picture of the enormous flooding in my mind. i could picture how the people get very upset and disappointed losing all they slowly have built over the years. there would surely be vast piles of rubble left in the wake of the flooding.
even if i know it is not only australia experiencing this natural calamity, i hope everybody gets back on its feet and move on.
all my prayers to those affected.
ann
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
22 Jan 11
Thanks for your prayers Ann, many need all they can get at the moment. One of the saddest things is that the area of the state of Victoria which is now under water, was under water to a lesser extent only 4 months ago! The people in these towns had gotten back on their feet and moved on only to be hit again, but harder this time. Nature can be very cruel sometimes!
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
24 Jan 11
Still happening is right, Bill! St George has been under twice now, that's two flood peaks & all the water's still there! Not only that, they've just had an earthquake! You think it would have made all the water go down faster, but no! Victoria & bits of SA were hit by a locust plague just before the floods too. What's next?
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
24 Jan 11
We have had amazing weather here lately, which has allowed people to clean up pretty quickly in South East QLD, but I have a feeling that we will get more extreme rain periods before the wet season is over. It is incredible to hear that towns are still being threatened by rising water elsewhere. The flooding nationwide has gone on for a long time already!
I did not here about the earthquake!
Maybe a volcano next? 
Maybe a volcano next? @RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
28 Jan 11
I drove through a locust plague in Parkes, NSW a few years back. It was nasty! I uploaded a photo of our car afterwards to one of my discussions some time back on Jane's post I think.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
26 Jan 11
They've just finished sweeping through most of Victoria & parts of SA, doing massive damage as they went. I think we're on top of it now. We hardly ever get locust plagues. What's going on?
