43 still missing as Australian deadly flood chaos continues
Source: Agencies |
January 13, 2011, Thursday
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MASSIVE floods shut down the center of Australia's third-largest city, sent thousands fleeing from their homes and sparked panic buying of food yesterday as rescuers searched for 43 people missing in floodwaters.
Australia's biggest floods in a century have so far killed 16 people since starting their onslaught across northern mining state Queensland last month, crippling the coking coal industry, destroying infrastructure, putting a brake on the economy and sending the local currency to four-week lows.
The flood surge was expected to peak in Brisbane, a riverside city of two million people, before sunrise today and last for days. However, the peak hit Ipswich, a satellite town to the west, late yesterday.
"The water is rising and swallowing up the city. It's really heartbreaking," said Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale.
More than 1,500 Ipswich residents sheltered in evacuation centers, but others fled their homes with little more than what they are wearing, as floodwater rose around the city.
Pisasale said the flood peak yesterday at 19.4 meters was about a meter below expectations, saving some 6,000 homes from flooding. Brisbane authorities slightly downgraded their flood peak forecast to 5.2 meters for today.
Brisbane residents yesterday pushed food-laden shopping carts through submerged streets, others waded in shoulder-high water to rescue possessions, while boats and pontoons were ripped from moorings in the Brisbane River and smashed into bridges as the muddy brown tide gathered strength.
At some flooded intersections people paddled surfboards through floodwaters, balancing their possessions on the deck of the boards, while boats ferried evacuees to dry ground.
"I am feeling a sense of horror and awe at the power of the river. Sadly in coming hours we will see bits of people's homes float down the river," Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman said, warning the torrent could take three to four days to subside.
Food prices are surging around the country as the floods ruin Queensland crops and distribution networks. Prices for tomatoes have leapt about 200 percent in two weeks, while beef is up 11 percent and wheat has risen 4 percent in four months.
Rescue crews took advantage of some rare sunshine to look for 43 people still missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week.
In Brisbane, thousands of homes and businesses were deserted as swirling floodwaters rose in and around the city, forcing residents to flee with a few possessions to higher ground and to evacuation centers crowded with more than 3,500 people.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard arrived in Brisbane to inspect the devastation and said she was deeply concerned about the impact on jobs and livelihoods.
"I have been shocked. I think we've all been shocked by the images of that wall of water just wreaking such devastation. The dimensions of it are truly mind-boggling," Gillard said.
Australia's biggest floods in a century have so far killed 16 people since starting their onslaught across northern mining state Queensland last month, crippling the coking coal industry, destroying infrastructure, putting a brake on the economy and sending the local currency to four-week lows.
The flood surge was expected to peak in Brisbane, a riverside city of two million people, before sunrise today and last for days. However, the peak hit Ipswich, a satellite town to the west, late yesterday.
"The water is rising and swallowing up the city. It's really heartbreaking," said Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale.
More than 1,500 Ipswich residents sheltered in evacuation centers, but others fled their homes with little more than what they are wearing, as floodwater rose around the city.
Pisasale said the flood peak yesterday at 19.4 meters was about a meter below expectations, saving some 6,000 homes from flooding. Brisbane authorities slightly downgraded their flood peak forecast to 5.2 meters for today.
Brisbane residents yesterday pushed food-laden shopping carts through submerged streets, others waded in shoulder-high water to rescue possessions, while boats and pontoons were ripped from moorings in the Brisbane River and smashed into bridges as the muddy brown tide gathered strength.
At some flooded intersections people paddled surfboards through floodwaters, balancing their possessions on the deck of the boards, while boats ferried evacuees to dry ground.
"I am feeling a sense of horror and awe at the power of the river. Sadly in coming hours we will see bits of people's homes float down the river," Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman said, warning the torrent could take three to four days to subside.
Food prices are surging around the country as the floods ruin Queensland crops and distribution networks. Prices for tomatoes have leapt about 200 percent in two weeks, while beef is up 11 percent and wheat has risen 4 percent in four months.
Rescue crews took advantage of some rare sunshine to look for 43 people still missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week.
In Brisbane, thousands of homes and businesses were deserted as swirling floodwaters rose in and around the city, forcing residents to flee with a few possessions to higher ground and to evacuation centers crowded with more than 3,500 people.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard arrived in Brisbane to inspect the devastation and said she was deeply concerned about the impact on jobs and livelihoods.
"I have been shocked. I think we've all been shocked by the images of that wall of water just wreaking such devastation. The dimensions of it are truly mind-boggling," Gillard said.
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