Floods of Regional QLD Australia

OMG I will definitely pray for you folks Wowsers is there any relief agencies on the way yet ?
-Will

Holy cow, guy -- you really believe in narrow escapes, don't you? It's good to have you in the forum tonight after that. God speed to everyone down there. I hope things clear up fast and hope that all recover.

Regional Warrior, I am pleased that you managed to get out in time, there were some that didn't...

The flooding here is diabolical.

There is no real end in sight either since we are still having torrential rain in many areas.

The floods are the intital problem, then the snakes, then the disease.

Will, the emergency services are strapped to the max, there so many spots that are underwater and they are doing an incredible job under the circumstances. Most of them are volunteers.

They were saying on the news the other night that the floods covered an area the size of Texas and we have had more area go under since then.

Good luck tonight and stay as safe as possible in the floods.

Wowsers.

You folks take care out there as best you can This is a major disaster I can't believe the amount underwater that is horrible.

Keep us posted if you are able to we are with you
cheers
-Will

Hey guys

Still waiting for the river to peak should be around 11PM tonight , and being part of the State Emergency Service I have flood boat duties till 6 AM so going to be a long night thanks for all the support

Jason

I've lived in mountainous desert area that flash floods. One of our cops in SW Idaho was killed in one last year - went to cross a bridge and the water just came out of nowhere and took him out. So I understand fully what you are going through.....except........

Intellectually I understand the size of the area you are talking about -- but I don't think there's any way for any of us not seeing it first hand to fully fathom the enormity of what is going on there. It's as if you are sinking instead of flooding.

If we have any prayers right now, it should be for sunshine.

It's getting colder and cold means wet - there are a lot of areas flooding right now - a few in the US - France, and several other locations. What isn't helping right now is that the gulf of Mexico water has been turned to sludge thanks to BP and their brilliant Idea to spray that excessively toxic dispersant - it turned the water to muck and with oil also on the bottom, the water has stagnated and it's changing the ocean currents worldwide -- so, I guess we can see the result of that mixed with the cold/wet.

Would definitely be a good time for a miracle.

Its all most 12 am here and the rain is still coming down very hard just checked the level and we have had 6" inchs of rain in the last 2 hours , I can see this is going to be a long night and day here is some of the story going to be printed in todays paper



The Qld city of Toowoomba has been devastated by a deadly wall of water in scenes reminiscent of a tsunami.


AT least four people are confirmed dead, including two children, and up to 50 are missing after a massive wall of water carved a trail of devastation through Toowoomba and into the Lockyer Valley yesterday.

A woman and a boy were found dead in the Toowoomba CBD and a man and a boy were killed after being washed from a home in Murphys Creek.
Emergency authorities last night feared for 30 people believed to be sheltering in a one-storey wooden school building at Grantham, 100km west of Brisbane.
Premier Anna Bligh called the disaster the "darkest hour of the last fortnight".
"Mother Nature has unleashed something shocking out of the Toowoomba region," she said.
Authorities were working frantically to rescue people in Postmans Ridge, where houses were reportedly swept away, Withcott, Grantham, Helidon and Murphys Creek.


The crisis in Toowoomba began about 1pm yesterday as fierce waters raged through the city and down the Range.
Witnesses likened the disaster to a tsunami.
The river through Gatton rose 9m during the course of the day.
At least 26 people were pulled to safety from rooftops and last night three times that number were still awaiting rescue.
Through Toowoomba city and down to the Lockyer Valley, the torrent washed houses off their stumps and snapped 4m-high trees at the base of their trunks.
Video footage showed families scrambling desperately to get out of their cars as they were washed away in a sea of water.
Landslides and the wild water picked up cars and tossed them into trees, turning the vehicles some with people still inside into missiles.
People cowered on their roofs and pleaded to be rescued as the water engulfed homes.
At least one person is missing at Grantham, and five at Withcott, east of Toowoomba.
"We have unconfirmed reports out of Grantham that have us holding very grave fears for the safety of a number of people in the Grantham township," Ms Bligh said. "We believe we're looking for at least three young pedestrians and two vehicles that seem to have been washed away."
She said every possible asset had been deployed but bad weather had hampered efforts.
The Warrego Highway has been in a number of places which combined with cuts to Bruce Highway would create significant supply issues in to central and western Queensland, she said.
Outside Toowoomba, the Queensland flood crisis widened dramatically yesterday, with the town of Dalby ravaged by rising waters for the second time in 10 days with 300 homes set to be inundated.
Last night, heavy rain off the Sunshine Coast prompted further evacuations and another warning the system could head for the Toowoomba region.
Residents of Ipswich were warned the Bremer River could peak as high as 13m today.
In Brisbane, council warned 445 properties would be inundated as more water than ever before is released from Wivenhoe Dam and rain continues to fall on the already sodden region.
Late last night, more than 5600 homes were without power with the Lockyer Valley, Brisbane Valley and Gympie the worst affected areas.
In Toowoomba, the crisis began when West Creek running through the centre of the town burst its banks, followed by Murphys Creek, at the bottom of the Toowoomba range.
"It's like an atomic bomb hit this place, or it's like Cyclone Tracy," Lockyer Mayor Steve Jones said. "The intensity was impossible to explain."
Weather Bureau forecaster Ben Annells described water rises as "meteoric" and said the intensity and speed of the rainfall was at the heart of the crisis.
"The creeks and rivers around Toowoomba rose incredibly quickly because of the amount of rain that fell on the city between 1pm and 2pm," he said.
Emergency services desperately called on police to help with swift water rescues, with scores of people left trapped as the waters surged around them.
While authorities had focused their efforts on Gympie and Dalby where rivers slowly rose, no one was ready when disaster struck Toowoomba.
"It has just occurred, the heavens have just opened up," Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said.
James Street Motor Inn owner Troy Campbell said the flood happened "so quickly".
"Today just went from a normal wet day with heavy rain to a day of disaster here," he said.
"There was a lot of heavy rain here and then all of a sudden some light thunder and lightening and all hell broke loose."
Last night, it was believed a bridge in south Toowoomba had been destroyed by the raging water and a building had collapsed in the city centre, the Department of Community Safety said.
Hours after the deluge, rescue crews were still trying to reach pedestrians and motorists who had been swept away.
Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Peter Taylor said people were "literally . . . swept off their feet."
The clean-up will continue today if the weather holds but many were already suffering from recent floods.
Yesterday marked the first day since 1999 that Toowoomba's three major dams were full.
The Old Bank Bed and Breakfast manager Judith Glenfield said her guests included a family that had to be pulled out of their home by rope yesterday.
Resident Greg Kowald, 54, said the city centre looked "like an alien planet" yesterday.
"The destruction is like from the Armageddon, (I) have never seen anything like it," he said. "Cars piled up in the air and jammed under bridges as they were smashed together."
Postmans Ridge resident Gary Schmidt was left trapped with his two-year-old daughter in his home after the collapse of a nearby bridge.
"The people who live over the road . . . two to three of their houses have washed away," Mr Schmidt said.
Fifteen-year-old Matthew Ferries was in a car with his parents around noon.
"We saw a lounge suite float out of Rowse Furniture and then all of a sudden the rest followed, just floating along in six-foot water.
"The building across the road also had water pouring out the window and when we came back the whole wall was gone.
"We then drove near Queens Park and cars were piled up on each other. They looked like Jatz biscuits, just all stacked up."


as I asked before If anyone feels like saying a prayer for us please do
there are some people tonight who have lost everything and love ones


Will try and update later but I have to go do a flood boat run and try to help others



Cheers Jason

Jason - Salute to you for staying behind to help rather than fleeing the danger. You are a true Warrior.

Be careful - and be safe. The world cannot afford to lose people with compassion and valor!

Absolutely astounding some of the images in the media today. So many have lost so much. A king tide on Wednesday will see many Brisbane suburbs flooded too. And still it's raining. We're told we may see some sunshine on Saturday.

Take care, Jason. We're soggy but not flooded here so far, and have some spare space if anyone needs a roof over their heads and a dry bed. Mind you, I don't know how they'd get here with the roads cut.

What town are you in, Jason? Been watching the weather radar and the amount of rain that's heading your way won't be fun. :-(

Oh gosh I just saw the news on TV this morning and it is just devastating. I am in tears watching that and reading Jasons post.

The news say there are 8 dead and 72 missing. Those poor people sitting on their rooftops waiting to be rescued and the snakes - oh my gosh!

I think Queensland are getting the last 10 years worth of rain all in one hit! We've been in a drought down here too for the last 10 years and thankfully this year we have rain, but I'm also so thankful that it is not to the degree that you guys are getting it.

Take care Jason and you too Audrey

Just a quick update : 50 people have been found in local hall so there is some good news will try and keep you up to date but we are having a hell of a storm here just save a cat from being drowned poor thing got caught in the fence next door

Jason

Hang in there, Jason.

Sheryl, I'm doing fine, thanks, backyard is a swimming pool and I've just been told I may not get to work this afternoon because the roads are all flooded. But, my house is fine and family and animals all ok. A bit surreal sitting here warm and dry while all this devastation is happening not so far away.

Very concerned for Jason, sounds like he's in or near the Lockyer Valley and it's an absolute nightmare there today.

The huge amount of water that's affecting Jason's area is now heading for the Wivenhoe Dam, which is the only thing protecting Brisbane. It's at over 140% capacity. Scary.

Famous last words, just had an evacuation order for our area. Going to pack up my two kiddies and four dogs and move on out for a while. Rather leave early than end up trying to juggle them all at the last minute.

Where are you Audrey? Near Brisbane?

Wow, that is terrible, I hope you have somewhere to go! Your doing the right thing, best to get your kids and pets out safely and not risk any danger leaving it too late.

Good luck!

Audrey

Sorry to see you have to leave be safe , we are now waiting for the river to breach and hopefully it wont be to bad , lost one of our sheds about 10 mins ago guess I will find it sometime this week down the road. You have to keep some sence of humor here or you would cry due to all the damage that has been done and what we have to look forward to...

Here is another update of the floods here

Sheryl Audrey is close to Caboolture which is now isolated and low lying residents have been asked to move to high ground which sounds like what Audrey is doing. Glad to hear you're leaving early Aud. Our thoughts are with you, Jason and all the other Queenslanders dealing with this disaster.

Anyone who feels like donating you can do so here (there are details for International donations too:
How to donate to the flood relief appeal | Courier Mail Please help.

Footage

I'm here on the Gold Coast (just south of Brisbane) and so far we're missing the very heavy rain but watching TV on the devastation in Toowoomba and down at Grantham it looks like a war zone.

Now Brisbane and Ipswich going to have flood levels higher than the massive floods in 1974. Please send your prayers to all those being affected.

Neil

I'd get the hell out of brisbane today because by tomorrow people will be panicking

they are now saying thursday will be the worst day

For us Kiwis queensland is the place you go to escape all the crap - not at the moment.

Not all Kiwis are escaping. Emergency personnel and Red Cross workers are on the way across the ditch from New Zealand to help us Queenslanders.

Neil

"By Wednesday high tide, tomorrow afternoon at about 3 o'clock, we will see it at 4.5 metres and the current predictions indicate that the river will continue to rise into Thursday, with flood levels expected higher than the 1974 peak.

They are predicting 9,000+ homes in the Brisbane/Ipswich area to go under now :/

My prayers to those down-under and going-under-water now.

The videos are very dramatic but i had to remind myself it was only in miniature. I can't imagine in real size. I just hope people weren't in all those cars.

I am still thinking between all the weird world wide weather and the dead birds falling out of the sky that iT all has to do with the full moon eclipse on the winter solstice around (20 Dec) 2010

the last one was 700 years ago. We will not see the next one.
... and it came with a massive meteor shower...

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news...lsticeeclipse/

Stay Dry!

Its kind of ironic in a way, we have been in the middle of a 100+ year drought and now we have major flooding.

Chris

Yeah they are also saying the big dam will be over capacity for some time and there is a king tide next week - so this wont be over for a while.

Hi All

Well we are truly cut off from the world 8mts of water going to be 9mts tonight! best part is that the rain has stopped and has been for the last 3 hours rather very eerie not having the rain poor down as it has been for the last 3 months

Now just have to wait for the water to go down in a few days to see how much damage we have to the house and sheds "oh and we have a pool" ad some extra value to the house lol

cheers Jase

Hey guys I just opened up a fundraiser in the WSO section - every cent is going straight to the disaster relief fund.

Two warriors have already donated within the first 5 minutes which is fantastic.

If you could help me spread the word at all that would be really appreciated.

Any help you can give would be wonderful!

Thanks guys.

Jase, glad to hear you're okay. The rain has stopped but the end isn't in sight yet. The Brisbane River is going to flood around 6500 homes, and 1/3 of the city of Ipswich will go under by the weekend. We're only 10 minutes drive from Caboolture, and it's completely cut off by floodwaters from the Caboolture River. I've never seen anything like this before.

Although I packed up my kids, dogs and laptop, I didn't end up leaving because all but one of the roads out of my place were under water, and that last road was a bit dubious. Bit hard to evacuate when there's no way out! Fortunately, we stayed dry and things are looking okay from where I am.

Was that you standing by your car in the carpark that was the highway north, Paul?

Thanks to all for your concern, and for the fundraising WSO's, 75% of this state is now affected and people need all the help they can get.

I've seen 3 fundraiser WSO's and bought all 3 I probably don't need them - although your Pet PLR looks great Audrey, I will be using those!

I just sent out an email to my list too with the links to all three WSO's - hopefully it might get you a couple of sales

I heard on the BBC today that these floods will have a global effect, especially regarding the rising costs of wheat and sugar. We are praying for the Australians!

Hey Sheryl, thanks for the shout out to your list, that's fantastic!

It's a beautiful sunny Queensland morning here today but the water keeps on coming down the Brisbane & Bremer Rivers. More & more suburbs are now being flooded and major roads and motorways are cut.Electricity to many flood effected areas are being cut and people are moving to evacuation centres.

Ipswich (just west of Brisbane with 170,000 residents) will reach their flood peak this morning with Brisbane peak's expected this afternoon & tomorrow.

Neil

PLEASE DONATE!

Donate to the flood relief appeal

I think it would be best to hear from our friends in the fire before we sling our cash at some agency who won't put funds where needed and where we expect it to go.

Audrey - Jason - where is the best place to donate? Whose actually in there helping you folks that's taking money?

To all

The best place to donate is the Queensland Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal site set up by the Queensland State Government at Donate to the flood relief appeal

All funds are being directed to those have been affected and do not include emergency funding being provided by our Australian Federal government nor by the Queensland state government.


Neil

Hiya HeySal - the appeal that myself and others are running fundraisers for, linked to by "Lazy" above, is managed by the QLD government.

So it's not a private agency or anything, and while of course we all have issues with our respective governments, it will be administered as well as humanly possible.

All donations from both within Australia and from other countries are going through this appeal.

So far 32 million has been raised, but the damage toll is expected to be several billion so we're all pitching in to try and help as much as we can.

Here's some more info if anyone would like it: 24-7 Flood Info Centre | Qld Floods | Latest news on the Queensland Floods | News.com.au

My condolence to my Australian friend. I wish Yaro Starak will be fine. Btw he's in Sydney right?

Yaro did live in Brisbane where the floods are today so hope he's OK.The suburb he was living in while close to the city is hilly so there shouldn't be a problem.

However, this is also our major summer holiday time so many people are away from their homes at the moment.

Neil

Has Audrey or Jason been around today? Just want to make sure that they are both ok!

Oh good to see you Audrey - I hadn't seen anything from you or Jason today and started to worry

Good to know you're out of the danger zone!

WOW this is so gut wrenching. It is absolutely amazing that this can be classed as nature.

There are so many natural disasters that it's becoming ever more frightening.

My heart goes out to all concerned and let's hope that everyone gets out safe and sound.

I'm so glad the worst is over for now. I think our prayers should be that it doesn't start raining again soon.

I'd like to hear from Jason, too - but from the sounds of what he was going through on the rescue missions, he's probably either still out there getting people to safety or grabbing some much needed sleep. I've never seen Jason on the forums before - at least never really noticed him. From my introduction to him here all I can say is that I have major respect and admiration for that man. Flood rescue, for those who don't understand, is extremely dangerous and takes a lot of skill and bravery.

In memory of a young hero. Jordan Rice aged 13, swept away in flash flood in Toowoomba. Jordan told the rescuers to save his younger brother Blake (10) 1st, before losing his own life... Jordan you are an angel in disguise. May you get your wings now in heaven R.I.P.



They interviewed the guy that rescued Blake (the younger brother), he was in tears as he told the story. He said Jordan wouldn't go with him but told him to take his little brother. Jordan couldn't swim yet he still put his brother first. He told them to rescue his Mum first too.

When they came back for him it was too late, him and his mother were swept away in the flood and their bodies were found later.

It's stories like this that are just so sad and have me in tears when I sit and watch the news

wowsers Sheryl that is some kid. heroes come in every size and shape. at least he is definitely in a better place than we can imagine.
my heart goes out to the family
-Will

Heartbreaking. What a hero that boy was, and will continue to be.

My heart goes out to my Australian friends. I wish there was more I could do than just donate and spread the word.

I'm trained to be an EMT, and if I could manage to get there, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

It is sad to know that this things happen but we cannot control the mother nature. All we have to do is to pray that this things will not happen to us.

Sheryl - I'm not an overly compassionate person - but you got me with that one. If only there were a way we could see this side of our heroes without having tragedy strike to find it out.

An interesting (frightening?) stat to put things in perspective:

Area affected by Hurricane Katrina: 223,000 square kilometres;

Area affected in Queensland floods: 1,000,000 square kilometres.

Yeah four times as big - but they have kept casualties down to almost nothing for that size of a disaster. Says a lot about that country and its people.

Our local tv just showed this government site for the latest news and for donations too.
Queensland floods : Queensland Government

What a worst tragedy..

G/day guys

I am still alive and kicking , thanks for the well wishes and some new friends I have on here as you know I have been a tad busy and only today have i really had some sleep but very much needed at that

I think the hardest part will be trying to get back into the swing of things again , I have seen some things that I would not wish anyone else to see, one thing I know I may have wrote some dribble about the WSOs that are going about and please excuse if I came across an arse about it , I didn't know the facts and just sprouted off so sorry If I offended anyone.

I came across some female kittens in a box floating on the river and I have named them "Audrey,Sheryl & Hey Sal" I gave them to a little 6yr old girl to look after and the smile on her face said it all for me , I din't have the heart to name a horse "Lazy" lol I could not do it to the poor thing
I know some call me a hero and as nice as it is I was just doing something the town that I live in and to try and help some of the pain this flood has caused to the wonderful people who live here.

Anyway I have to start thinking about my software now, I wanted to relaunch it at the start of Jan lol fat lot of good that did , flood is over and I have to move on once more to all who sent PMs and wishes to the people of Queensland we thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Ok getting emotional now need to end this

Cheers Jason

Awww, that's so sweet naming the kittens after us

Good to see you around Jason and in our eyes you are a hero

Hey Jason, glad to hear things are starting to settle a bit again for you now mate.

As much as it's horrible to go through something like this, the one good thing is it lets you see the best of people as they pull together at a time like this. Sometimes you start to think people are a pretty rotten bunch, but when something like this happens it makes you rethink your view.

I saw one cool story on the news I thought was awesome.

There was a couple down here (Victoria) who had their house wiped out during the Black Saturday fires. So someone from Queensland gave them a caravan they could use for shelter while they got back on your feet - not cheap and it saved their butts.

And now they're filling it up with bedding and food and all the other supplies they can and sending it back to QLD for someone who has lost their home up there. So the acts of kindness have gotten to go full circle.

I don't come over all sentimentally patriotic very often, but that type of thing makes me pretty darn proud of my fellow Aussies.

Keep it up Jason, you'll pull through stronger than ever.

P.S. Sorry I haven't spent much time in this thread, I've been trying to put all my time into doing what I can to raise money for the appeal. Will try to check in more often and see how you're going.

Just looked at hose pics Paul - how heartbreaking would it be to return to your home and find it like that - just heartbreaking.

It is just incredible how much damage water can do - terrible!

I hope you Aussies are having a better day today than you did yesterday. I'm trying to plan a trip out there as soon as I can. I met some of the most wonderful people while rebuilding houses after Katrina back in college.

I can only imagine how wonderful you all would be. The Aussie collective spirit is nothing short of amazing.

Just saw on the news that there has been flooding in Victoria today. They showed the massive wall of cloud on the weather map. It went from the top of Qld down to the bottom of Victoria.

On the news last night it showed that there had been flooding in a couple of places here in South Australia yesterday. We got a fair bit of rain here yesterday afternoon and night but it has cleared up today. I think we must have got the very edge of it.

It's been kind of surreal to watch all of the news footage. Yesterday they showed the Brisbane CBD from a helicopter, as well as all of the surrounding area.

It's been so weird. Just unbelievable.

Yeah it's craziness, it's flooding all around my home town where my parents still live. It's almost every state now but WA, which has bushfires instead. Geeze...

I actually inspected a house to rent in Carisbrook VIC not 6 months ago that is now flooded out.

Madness....

Wow Jason. Thank you for the tribute. I can only hope little furry Hey Sal is much more behaved for you all than little human Sal was for her parents.