Australia floods: Brisbane residents urged to evacuate
Brisbane (Australia), Jan.11 : Authorities in Queensland are urging people to leave parts of Brisbane, the country’s third largest city, Brisbane, in the wake of floods said to be one of the worst in decades.Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman said that at least 6,500 homes and businesses could be swamped by floodwaters.
With waters of the Brisbane River level going up by nearly five feet on Tuesday, Campbell said: “Today is very significant, tomorrow is bad, and Thursday is going to be devastating for the residents and businesses affected.”
The Brisbane River snakes its way through the center of Brisbane, and in places, it has burst its banks already, the BBC reports.
Cars have been streaming out of the city and office workers have been fleeing the main business district, while lower lying suburbs have already been inundated by water. Sandbags have been given out to residents in the city of two million people, as the flooding is expected to peak on Wednesday and Thursday.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh urged people to prepare themselves.
“For those who are living in some of the lower lying areas and the identified suburbs, now is the time to be making whatever preparations you can, and I would encourage you to be overly cautious,” Bligh said.
Brisbane residents said that supermarkets were already running out of food.
In Toowoomba, just west of Brisbane, flash floods have killed at least nine people with at least 70 missing.
A huge search-and-rescue operation has been mounted, with helicopters taking people to safety, as many residents clinging to trees or railings for their lives, or trapped in cars or on the roofs of buildings.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned that the death toll is likely to rise.
Jan 11: Brisbane, Australia is Told to Empty after more floods
The BBC reported this morning that the people of Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland and third largest city in Australia has been urged to evacuate.A large section of the city (65,000 homes and businesses) are expected to be underwater soon. The city's mayor said "Today is very significant, tomorrow is bad, and Thursday is going to be devastating for the residents and businesses affected."
The area is already water logged but more rain has arrived and even more rain is expected after that.
My thoughts on this? It's hard to imagine a "Developed" country such as Australia as being completely flooded. I can't help but think that they are infinitely more lucky, even with flooding, than countries like Haiti. If these countries have anything more than moderate weather their dwindling emergency services collapse, their economy takes a beating that takes years to recover from and while they're still recovering another disaster hits and it all starts again.
It's hard to feel too sorry for the Australians when their Premier can, with the click of her fingers, announce a means tested care package worth $1,000 for adults and $400 for children to compensate families for the flooding. The Australians are having a hard time of it, sure, but something tells me they're receiving days more international coverage than a Less Economically Developed country would be awarded by the likes of CNN or the BBC.
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