SEQ - and then it rained ...
Excerpt from Courier Mail:
Major flooding hits southeast Queensland after big rain
20 November 2008
Southeast Queensland has been hit by floods - described as the worst since 1974 - after an overnight deluge dumped 250mm of rain in some areas.
Major highways and suburban roads are impassable, train lines cut and emergency services are telling people not to travel unless absolutely essential.
One of the worst hit areas was Ipswich - an Emergency Services spokesperson said nine swiftwater rescues were performed overnight to get people from cars in swollen creeks and rivers.
Major flooding is being reported in areas west of Brisbane and the Fasssifern Valley.
Residents were evacuated from areas such as Rosewood, Marburg and Minden.
Ipswich councillor Paul Tully told ABC radio the flooding as the worst he'd seen since 1974.
Brisbane's Inner City Bypass, the Ipswich Motorway and Warrego Highway are all cut, along with suburban streets across Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast.
Due to heavy rain throughout Brisbane there is extensive flooding of the road network. Motorists are advised to proceed with caution.
Major flooding is affecting the Ipswich Mwy at Goodna and Gailes and sections of the Centenary Hwy.
...
See - Worst flooding since 1974.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 6:52 AM
1 Comments:
The Chronicle:
More storms batter south-east Queensland
20 November 2008
SOUTH-EAST Queensland has again received a battering as rainfalls approaching 250mm pounded the region overnight. But don't put away your umbrellas - there's more to come.
The heaviest rainfall of 243mm was recorded at Tallegalla, 65km west of Brisbane. That figure included a three hour rainfall between 9pm and midnight of 222mm.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Gordon Banks said the bureau had been tracking this storm activity from the south west of the state for the past few days and watching it move east.
"We discovered last night that we think a small low pressure system formed over the area in response to a very strong upper trough in the region," he said.
"That low pressure system has tracked eastwards bringing heavy rain south of Brisbane this morning. That rainfall has finished over the south-east for the moment, although we are seeing areas of flooding and some stream rises as the rain filters through to the rivers."
Mr Banks said south-east Queensland should prepare for what could be an early start to a forecast storm for the region today.
"We could potentially see storms around the south east from midday and there is the potential there for some of them to be severe.
"Essentially with the thunderstorm activity, we will see it initiate on the ranges and move towards the coast. It could be severe right throughout the region."
Brisbane in particular faces another battering that could undermine the recovery operation in the wake of Sunday night's massive storm.
About 1,300 emergency services personnel from Queensland and NSW continue to work alongside 900 soldiers cleaning up.
About 8,100 damage assessments were made, with 4,000 homes found to be damaged, 300 deemed badly damaged and 85 uninhabitable.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on Wednesday announced the formation of a task force to lead the recovery operation.
It is headed by building industry leader John Gaskin who was in charge of restoring Mackay after widespread flooding earlier this year.
The news of further thunderstorm activity around Brisbane was also a blow to Energex crews, who on Wednesday night had just restored power to all of the 220,000 habitable homes and businesses blacked out on Sunday.
The crews worked 75 hours non-stop.
Almost 500 homes and businesses were still regarded as too damaged to safely restore their power supply, while crews continued to work on damaged infrastructure.
The Insurance Council of Australia has predicted the damage bill from Sunday's storm will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, once power lines, schools and other facilities are taken into account.
7:23 AM, November 20, 2008
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