The Flood Crisis

[Quicky]

I'd like to send out my thoughts to anyone who has been caught up in the flood crises currently sweeping the country particularly those in Queensland. Towoomba is currently being hit the hardest and Brisbane is also in a bad state among other areas around the country. And all this coming so close after Rockhampton. I know we have members on the board from these areas so all our thoughts go out to you. Stay safe.

News article:

8 dead and 72 missing in Queensland Flood.

This video illustrates how quickly these places have been hit, this is from Toowoomba:

[YOUTUBE]kYUpkPTcqPY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[The Magnificent Seven]

Scariest footage I've seen in a while. Brisbane is in for a rough time.

Will be donating tonight and looking at how to fundraise next month - the cleanup from this is going to be monumental.

 

[mattys123]

It's scary to think about what the people in QLD and Northern NSW are going through at the moment, and my thoughts go out to them all.

I've already donated to the appeal, and may donate more as this disaster gets worse.

All my thought in particular go out to all the Collingwood fans in these areas, hope you and your loved ones are safe, because houses can be rebuilt, cars can be replaced, but lives are precious and irreplaceable.

 

[Aucklander]

Thoughts are with everyone up there. Some very sad and scary scenes so far.

 

[jerry springer]

I finished my high school in dalby,played football in Gatton many times against the lockyer valley magpies which area is now completely under water,so i have a bit of history in this area

This disaster has been going on for over 10 days.i am so angry that the government has done nothing.the Prime minister was at the cricket for 2 days FFS whilest people in Rockhampton, Dalby and Chinchilla where losing their homes.it has taken til now until people have got off their xmas break and realized what the **** is going on...

Even more angrier that the government sent the Australian navy and provided $1 billion in relief to Indonesia after the tsunami and earthquakes,but has done absolutely **** all except provide a few blackhawks for our own country

wake the **** up Australia!

 

[Whacker]

Is magpie girl still floating around those parts?

 

[mattys123]

I finished my high school in dalby,played football in Gatton many times against the lockyer valley magpies which area is now completely under water,so i have a bit of history in this area

This disaster has been going on for over 10 days.i am so angry that the government has done nothing.the Prime minister was at the cricket for 2 days FFS whilest people in Rockhampton, Dalby and Chinchilla where losing their homes.it has taken til now until people have got off their xmas break and realized what the **** is going on...

Even more angrier that the government sent the Australian navy and provided $1 billion in relief to Indonesia after the tsunami and earthquakes,but has done absolutely **** all except provide a few blackhawks for our own country

wake the **** up Australia!

At first I had the same "anger" to you over the slow approach of the government to this crisis, but when you look at the situation, there's very little the goverment could have done better.

Even if they had of sent what remains of our fully trained armed forces (after the best had been deployed overseas) into the area, most of their equipment, talent and personnel would have been useless against what Mother Nature has thrown at QLD anyway.

No one, especially not the army/navy etc had the technology or knowledge to predict exactly how bad this disaster was going to become, or know exactly where the worst of this was going to hit, so sending the armed forces into different areas blindly may have caused more harm then good.

Having said that, as soon as it is physically possible, every man and women who is currently enlisted in the defence force in this country, should be heading to QLD to assist in the biggest recovery and rebuild in this country's history, or else I will join you in blasting any and all governments.

If I was the PM, I'd even be bringing some specialist troops home from overseas (surveryors, builders, etc etc) to start rebuilding QLD's effected areas, as soon as is possible.

Lives have been lost, but if the Government doesn't act fast, and throw all it's resources at the recovery and rebuild of virtually an entire state, then we will have our own "Katrina" on our hands, and QLD will struggle to ever rebuild properly.

 

[jerry springer]

As i said this has been going on since around Boxing day...before it actually

Since then the government has immobilized 4 Blackhawks which today was upgraded to 15 after it was found out that the Qld police don't even own a chopper......

Chinchilla and dalby nearly ran out of drinking water over New years day and it is still at very low levels.The local Coles has ran out of food

-Army engineers are able to set up facilities to make fresh water but they have not been immobilized.(Will take them at least 3 days to get all their equipment ready and then travel south from Darwin or Townsville)At this stage nothing...

There are reports of elderly,disabled and pregnant females across the entire flood zone from rockhampton down to St George who desperately need medical attention.At this stage not one ADF medical member (doctor,nurses,medics)have been deployed...After the Tsunami,sumatra earthquake and Pakistani earthquake they were immobilized within 48 hours.There are 2 mobile field hospitals that could get set up but at this stage nothing.....

Its not the job of the ADF to predict how big the floods are going to get,but it is the job of the federal government to show some foresight and be proactive instead of being reactive to the point of standing still.

still it was good that the PM enjoyed her 2 days at the last test.....

 

[JeffDunne]

Couldn't agree more jerry.

Well said.

 

[jerry springer]

no worries,could go on and on about comparisons to Govt op-relief in other countries but is not the time or place.In a nutshell I am staggered about the minimal response and lack of urgency.

Hope everything is good your way JD?Floods in QLD,and here south of perth we have oxygen thiefs lighting bushfires......

I love a sunburnt country........

 

[Sam87]

QLD Floods

Don't post here very often, but it's times like this where footy becomes irrelevant. Thoughts and prayers are with all those currently affected or under threat in Queensland - not sure if there are any regular posters here from Queensland, but if there are, we're thinking of you - please stay safe.

 

[jonbe54]

Re: QLD Floods

Completely agree stay safe and look after your loved ones.

 

[Bay Pie]

Re: QLD Floods

I'm in Hervey Bay and while we are isolated, can't go north or south, we are in no real danger from the flooding.

But people south in Gympie (Lachie Keefes' parents town) and Maryborough are taking a battering, then north in Bundaberg.

The amount of water around the area is unbelievable.

 

[TradeDraft]

Re: QLD Floods

I'm in Hervey Bay and while we are isolated, can't go north or south, we are in no real danger from the flooding.

But people south in Gympie (Lachie Keefes' parents town) and Maryborough are taking a battering, then north in Bundaberg.

The amount of water around the area is unbelievable.

What about Noosa.

They are saying now there be some Floods in Victoria Now

 

[Optimax]

Matty I was just in new Orleans, I met so lovely people most were survivors of Katrina

This won't reach the stage of Katrina because our government has reacted albeit only slightly but they reacted, in America bush admin did noth for weeks let alone the louissana government

So please this is terrible, absolutely Terrible but ffs stop being melodramatic and comparing it to a massive atrocity you know quite clearly very little about

 

[Optimax]

And to all the queenslanders, I'm not really the praying type but your in my thoughts.

Good luck, do what the SES say and know everyone in the country is right behind you

 

[Ed D]

Re: QLD Floods

Crazy weather, I just hope everyone is safe.

 

[jonbe54]

Re: QLD Floods

What about Noosa.

They are saying now there be some Floods in Victoria Now

There was 160 millimeters in some Wimmera towns today with an expectation of a repeat of about 150 tomorrow with a possible deluge of 200 millimeters in the Grampians

 

[Whacker]

 

[The Magnificent Seven]

Yeah, I hear you Opti + Whacker. It's not doomsday, but it's a horrible situation. The point being lives/towns here (mostly) can be rebuilt and most can live to tell the tale to their kids/grandkids in 30+ years time.

Commonsense doesn't seem to play a part in news reporting, nor in knee-jerk govt antagonism. The government is doing a pretty responsible job here (state-level I mean). The money we pitch in now is for immediate shelter/food/etc.

It is strange, though, in a place where it rains so much that there wasn't some sort of levee built along the Brisbane River in the last 20-30 years... even if just in the CBD. I was in Brisbane in Oct jogging along the New Farm walkways and there wasn't much 'give' in the tidal levels even during normal conditions.

 

[JeffDunne]

Matty I was just in new Orleans, I met so lovely people most were survivors of Katrina

This won't reach the stage of Katrina because our government has reacted albeit only slightly but they reacted, in America bush admin did noth for weeks let alone the louissana government

So please this is terrible, absolutely Terrible but ffs stop being melodramatic and comparing it to a massive atrocity you know quite clearly very little about

As someone who has many friends in New Orleans I communicate with regularly - including during Katrina - let me say you know nothing about what's happening in SEQ. Brisbane is only a small part of what's happening.

No doubt the problem in New Orleans was a bigger humanitarian disaster due to failed government policy, but the scale of this disaster by the time it's over could easily match Katrina in terms of long term impact on the area. We don't have the social problems New Orleans had before Katrina. It was already a city on the verge of failing before the disaster.

This is different but it's long term impact could be similar.

SEQ is only entering the wettest part of the season too. The potential for flooding on an even greater scale than we've already seen is still more likely than not. Episodes like Toowoomba will be repeated if storm cells hit this part of the country. With massive infrastructure failures already and business at a standstill, the short term outlook is bleak for many not even suffering flooding.

Potentially this is only the start of it.

 

[JeffDunne]

It is strange, though, in a place where it rains so much that there wasn't some sort of levee built along the Brisbane River in the last 20-30 years... even if just in the CBD. I was in Brisbane in Oct jogging along the New Farm walkways and there wasn't much 'give' in the tidal levels even during normal conditions.

The biggest disgrace in all of this is the role of the Brisbane City Council.

For all the development along the river, none has been built to provide even modest levees. The part of the CBD that flooded first is an area where the river bank is lower than it was in '74. Even more ridiculous, there are underground carparks dug under the water level meters from the river.

In other areas, the reality now is that when the water falls to normal levels, some areas will act to dam the water rather that allowing it flow back out. Walls that don't provide levee type protection act as dams when the water is falling.

 

[Optimax]

Wasn't talking long term was talking immediate, Sheer natural scale agreed it's as bad (although at least seq is above sea level) but to compare our countries response to the theirs in which there was no response is talking absolute extremist shit. And I dont even like the labor party

Anyway I was by no means trying to downplay the significance, it is very bad biblically bad but let's not down grade what happened else where to strengthen ones arguement


Hope you are doing fine too Jeff

 

[JeffDunne]

Yeah Opti, we're fine. For now. Our issue isn't flooding, it's the collapse of the economy.

My reaction is more due to Brisbane being a bit of a distraction to what is happenning inland. People have been isolated for days. A friend who works with emergency services tells me kilometers of major highways have been washed away. Some of these towns they expect to be isolated for months.

The delima now is do you start repairing and cleaning up with the threat of more flooding to come.

The problem too will spread beyond Queensland and Northern NSW if the modelling is correct. It's quite possible from Alice to Victoria we could see similar problems in the coming months especially with flash flooding like in Toowoomba.

There is a reason we are seeing floods on this scale. It is a totally different disaster to Katrina but we could even still see even event like that on top of what's already happened.

 

[KingJames23]

As much as i dislike the Pies for all the pain they have caused me as a crows supporter, much respect for Pendlebury for his push towards a charity game. Its a shame that bad-news stories with AFL players like Fev and the Saints photo scandal gets so much coverage, yet people forget the good things players do.

Well done, Pendles. My new favourite magpies player (or the least dispised ) Hope the rest of the AFL and sponsors get behind this.