NFR - This is devastating

[sw9white]

I've been watching the floods from back home unfold over the past couple of weeks, however today it has hit home watching the power of the waters flow through Toowoomba and the rising waters of Brisbane.

Although a Sydney boy at heart I moved to SEQ at the age of 16 with the family and have plenty of friends in the effected areas, now watching Brisbane about to go under I can finally grasp the grand scale of the flooding. The morning has been spent watching the live bulletins from 9 in Australia, it seems the worse is yet to come.

I rarely say anything nice about Queenslanders (As a new south welshmen our sporting rivalry runs deep) but they are incredibly resilient and community minded bunch and will pull through this. I just hope that everyone heeds the warnings and doesn't leave anything to fate.

Best of luck to the emergency services and especially the QLD government, you have one hell of an operation on your hands.

[HatterDon]

John, this morning was the first time I'd seen any video/coverage on the floods. here in the States. They look horrific. I hope relief comes soon to Queensland. I am sure that nothing in heaven or hell can vanquish Australian spirit, humor, and resiliance, but you are all being sorely tested at this moment.

Prayers and good karma to all down under.  :down_under:

[Hazey]

Just spoke to my brother this morning, who is safe down in Canberra, but a friend of his I met at his wedding in October was in T'WBa yesterday she had two people washed away just inches in front of them and were powerless to help.  She has no idea if they survived.

At first I didn't think too much of the flooding as we always have the odd natural disaster or two back home, but thanks for keeping me in the loop Corked.

Great gesture by Timmy Cahill btw - if you haven't heard he has arranged a raffle/ebay prize of two flights return from Oz to the UK with Emirates and you get to hang out with him for a few days I think, get to an Everton game, signed boots, shirt etc.  A money can't buy experience was how he described it  Will try and find full details.  Shame we never nabbed him from Milwall!  All proceeds to the flood appeal of course.

[Peabody]

The BBC News Channel has started to cover it and it looks devastating. Fingers crossed for everyone.

[alfie]

I was watching it on news this morning, devastating for those poor people.

I have relatives living on the outskirts of Brisbane, i have no idea whats happening with them

[TheDaddy]

John,
please keep us updated,watching it on the news here it truely is devastating my heart and prays go out to all that are suffering.

[CorkedHat]

Some of you who have family or friends in Queensland have asked me how they can donate to the Flood Relief Fund.
Details are as follows:

Donate online
Make a donation to the Premier's Disaster relief appeal using a secure payment form.

Donate by phone
0600 – 2300  7 days on 1800 219 028

Donate by internet banking
The account details for donations are:
Account Name: Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S
Once your transaction is complete, you should record the receipt number for your transaction.  If you do not receive a receipt number, contact your financial institution.
If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, please forward a request, with proof of donation to:
Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002

International donations
The account details international for donations are:
Account Name: Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code: CTBAAU2S

Donate by mail
You can post a cheque donation – please do not send cash.
Cheques should be made payable to:
The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916
Cheques should be posted to:
Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002


Latest News is that ten people (five of whom are children) are confirmed dead and ninety more are missing. In the next 24 hours it is expected that over thirty suburbs of Brisbane will be under water. Many landmarks such as the Suncorp Stadium in Milton are affected and already 20,000 homes have been flooded. I will give you an update later

[CorkedHat]

One of the most endearing visions that I have of this tragedy is that the RSPCA Home in Fairfield, Brisbane is under water and unless the animals were moved they would drown.
This prompted the people of Brisbane to arrive at the Home to foster a pet until the floods subsided. One bloke arrived looking for a dog but by the time he got there they had all found foster homes so he went home with a rooster, which was the last animal remaining.
You can imagine his wife when he got home. She probably said, "That's the funniest looking dog I've ever seen." "Yeah," says the bloke, "It's a cocker!"
For those who are not familiar with Queensland in terms of size it is one of our largest States.
Queensland has an area of 668,207 sq miles (1,730,648 sq km) over three times the size of a country like France for example.
France is spread over a distance of 210,026 square miles. This translates to a distance of 543,965 square kilometres.
To provide you with an idea of the extent of the disaster, 75 per cent of Queensland has now been declared as a "Disaster Area"
Brisbane is our third largest city in Australia with a population of almost 2 million.
I have heard from a Facebook friend that my old home until three years ago (in New Farm) is under water and it is this kind of information that makes it so real.
The latest update is that twelve people are now pronounced dead with sixty-seven still officially missing.

[RidgeRider]

John, thanks for the updates. I must say I have heard very little here amongst my friends. I must confess that I don't take a paper, watch the television news, listen to radio or read internet news except for football, cycling and what I do for a living. This thread is the only reason I know about this terrible news.


It is hard to imagine the extend of the damage and the size of the areas that have been impacted. My heart goes out to all those who have lost their lives, their families and all of the people who have been dispossessed of their homes. What a tragedy.

[LBNo11]

...watching the news again tonight feeling helpless to make a physical contribution in the face of natures armoury. It is similar to my memories of what happened in Atlanta a couple of years back...

[The Equalizer]

I watched footage of the flood water running down a street as filmed by someone with a camera phone. The strength of the current was incredible and the speed with which it rose was terrifying. This particular video was taken overlooking a car park with 15 or so cars in. All of them were washed away. The power to move something weighing a tonne at about 20 miles an hour. I can't imagine what that would do to a person.

Here's the link to the video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12161502

[CorkedHat]

As way of an update as you people in Britain wake up this morning the death toll in the floods has risen to fourteen. Around 20,000 Homes in Brisbane have been affected.
The Brisbane River is expected to peak in around ninety minutes time but even more sombre is the news that a mass grave has been sighted in the village of Grantham which is to the west of Brisbane. Rescue workers are unable to get in there yet and their observations have been made from the air. We can only hope that there aren't many people under the silt but it is not looking good.
Ninety people are still unaccounted for - twelve from Grantham.
The British Government has said that they will provide any help that they can and this, I can tell you, is greatly appreciated.

[CorkedHat]

Good news is that police divers have finished exploring the Grantham Bridge where they thought bodies were buried, only to find that this was not the case. Still twelve people missing from a town of 300 which is not good news

[The Equalizer]

May I divert everyone's attention from Queensland and the tragedy there and focus briefly on the flooding that has hit Brazil.

So far 335 people are reported dead, and they have nowhere near the facilities to deal with this tragedy that Australia have. I'm not taking anything away from the troubles faced in Australia, but please spare a thought for the people who seem to be suffering in Australia's shadow at the moment.

[Burt]

Not to mention Sri Lanka.

Mother Nature is certainly throwing her weight around at the moment.

[HatterDon]

we think we are all that with our big brains and our opposible thumbs, but we are just tinker toys at the best of time.

Some good news at least from Aussie, John.

[CorkedHat]

May I divert everyone's attention from Queensland and the tragedy there and focus briefly on the flooding that has hit Brazil.

So far 335 people are reported dead, and they have nowhere near the facilities to deal with this tragedy that Australia have. I'm not taking anything away from the troubles faced in Australia, but please spare a thought for the people who seem to be suffering in Australia's shadow at the moment.

Nobody is taking anything away from what is happening in other parts of the world, Tom.
The difference here is that most people in the UK have either friends or relatives living in Australia – they have been to Australia and the older people have fought wars alongside Australia.
In spite of the sporting rivalry there is a huge bond between Australia and Britain and indeed with the USA too. As wrong and futile as the Vietnam War might have been, Australia was one of the few countries who backed America and fought alongside the GI's.
I agree that our 15 people who have died do not compare with the hundreds who have died in Brazil but I dare I say that maybe Britain can relate more to Australians losing their lives than from countries where we do not have the same kindred spirit.
I apologise if I have seemed to undermine the plight of other countries, but this was never my intention.

[OldBrownShoe]

We are not competing with these floods. Flooding in Bangla Desh seems to be an almost annual event. It wasn't so very long ago that there were massive floods in Pakistan. I take it that these have abated and life is back to normal as the meeja stopped reporting on it (as they did with the devastation in Haiti until they decided to give a progress report a year after it happened).  Our meeja were slow off the mark reporting on Queensland/Brisbane.

CH is right we do have a very special affinity with Australia. Let's face it many who live there are British or we have family/rellies there and our government should do absolutely what they can to help. Australia has never failed to offer help when and where needed. Now it is their hour of need.

John is there flooding, or the threat of, south of Queensland, say in Victoria and NSW?

Our thoughts are with you all as it it with the people of Brazil and Bangla Desh.

[The Equalizer]

May I divert everyone's attention from Queensland and the tragedy there and focus briefly on the flooding that has hit Brazil.

So far 335 people are reported dead, and they have nowhere near the facilities to deal with this tragedy that Australia have. I'm not taking anything away from the troubles faced in Australia, but please spare a thought for the people who seem to be suffering in Australia's shadow at the moment.

Nobody is taking anything away from what is happening in other parts of the world, Tom.
The difference here is that most people in the UK have either friends or relatives living in Australia – they have been to Australia and the older people have fought wars alongside Australia.
In spite of the sporting rivalry there is a huge bond between Australia and Britain and indeed with the USA too. As wrong and futile as the Vietnam War might have been, Australia was one of the few countries who backed America and fought alongside the GI's.
I agree that our 15 people who have died do not compare with the hundreds who have died in Brazil but I dare I say that maybe Britain can relate more to Australians losing their lives than from countries where we do not have the same kindred spirit.
I apologise if I have seemed to undermine the plight of other countries, but this was never my intention.

John, don't get me wrong, I would never think you capable of undermining the plight of others. I just wanted to use this thread to highlight the other cases as well as that of Australia. I too have friends and family in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Rockhampton so I know that I'm more concerned with events over there than in other countries, but it's no less devastating.

[Lighthouse]

Just had word from friends in Maryborough who had a scare and one of the family had to be rescued but homes are fine and on high ground. It always seems pointless to comment on death and disasters, they are with us always, but wherever in the World they happen, our thoughts are there.