Flooded Australia state braces itself for more rain – ‘We haven't seen it like this before, and I’m 72’
By Erik Jensen and Daniel Hurst
December 29, 2010
THE worst floods in half a century have inundated towns across Queensland, forcing the evacuation of entire communities as dams larger than Sydney Harbour threaten to breach their banks. In Chinchilla, 300 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, the local hospital and at least 20 homes have been evacuated. Floodwaters were at 7.25 metres last night – well above the 1983 peak and set to beat the 7.95 metre record of 1942. ”It will certainly get worse as the water rises,” a spokeswoman for the Western Downs Regional Council said. ”There’s a whole lot of water to come.” … ”The last record flood was in 1956 at 14.07 metres,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Community Safety said. ”It passed that overnight and we just don’t know what will happen.” From his hilltop property outside town, a retired grazier, Lawson Anderson, said all he could see was ”one big sheet of water from one hill across to the other”. He said his property was isolated and the rain was showing no sign of easing. ”We’ve seen it flood before. The backstreets flood,” he said. ”But this has gone right through the town. We haven’t seen it like this before – and I’m 72.” … In Emerald, 300 kilometres west of Rockhampton, at least 1000 people were poised to evacuate last night. By early next week that same water is expected to reach Rockhampton. ”The Fairbairn Dam is full,” the Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said. ”It’s something like three times the size of Sydney Harbour and there is still rain falling.” … The rain has been falling on Queensland since December 18. In the past two days emergency services have received 2900 calls for help. … A natural disaster was declared in Kyogle Shire, on the state’s far north coast, after almost 100 millimetres of rain in a day.
