Residents in the lower-lying communities of Brisbane are frantically emptying their homes, sandbagging doors and windows, stocking up with petrol and preparing for the flood that is set to hit the city on Thursday.
Having watched many of their fellow Queenslanders tackle the torrential rain and burst river banks since the inclement weather hit the region on Christmas Day, the locals know what to expect.
Around 6,500 homes and businesses are vulnerable in Australia’s third largest city, claims the state premier of Queensland Anna Bligh, and the central business district of the city has now emptied as it anticipates the worst flooding in the city since 1893.
City officials are currently preparing to blow up some large ferries and pleasure boats which have come adrift from their moorings and will be dangerous “floating torpedoes” when the floods arrive.
The death toll in the region has now reached 12 but there are around 90 more people missing.
by Dinah Hatch
