Queensland, Australia - Worst Floods in History Bring Towns and Cities to a Standstill

Unprecedented amounts of torrential rain in the four weeks leading up to Christmas have left the Australian state of Queensland a soggy mess. Just before Christmas, people were stranded on highways in the far north. These travelers were trying to get home or go to other parts of the state for the festive season. Most of them were stuck on the roads for days.

One by one, inland towns became inundated. The Army was called in to evacuate two entire towns. Residents of Theodore inland from Bundaberg were 'coptered' out to a mining camp at Moura. Condamine residents were moved to nearby Dalby in Western Queensland. Many parts of Dalby were also flooded, as was a fair percentage of the town of Chinchilla where my mother's two cousins live.

Many country towns were half submerged. As flood waters made their way downstream, the large, regional cities of Bundaberg on the Fraser Coast and Rockhampton in Central Queensland became cut off from everywhere else. Rockhampton airport is now closed as are all highways and roads into this city of 75,000 people.

Thousands of people spent Christmas and New Year in evacuation centers being manned by the Red Cross and other local organizations. For some inundated towns, this is the second time in two years they have been hit by floods. Flood runoff is yet to hit some inland communities. Two in particular are facing their second flood in less than 2 years.

Health issues have emerged with the inevitable damage to drainage infrastructure. Power has been turned off to avoid loss of life. Police are guarding residential areas to prevent looting.

People are being arrested for acting dangerously in flood waters. There have been a large number of deaths due to people's ignorance or stupidity when it comes to the ravages of floods. A 14 year old boy and his mates jumped into the Wappa Falls on the Sunshine Coast just before Christmas. His mates made it out but he was washed downstream and drowned. Several people trying to cross causeways and flooded roads in 4-wheel drives and other vehicles were swept to their doom by strong currents. A 20 year old decided to go for a swim in the flooded Bremmer River at Ipswich near Brisbane. His body was found downstream days later.

The human cost of floods of this magnitude

The amazing spirit of these Queenslanders in their tragic circumstances is testament to the strength people can find when adversity strikes.

A flood relief fund has been established by the Queensland Government and donations have been pouring in to assist people who have lost everything. The damage bill to road and rail infrastructure will be in the AU$billions. That does not account for the huge loss to businesses and individuals affected by this natural disaster.

The Queensland Government is reportedly offering affected business owners an immediate amount of up to AU$25,000 to get them back on their feet. This small amount will help but in no way make up for the millions of dollars of stock some businesses have lost.

Individuals are being offered AU$1,000 immediately to cover day-to-day costs and will hopefully get more from the flood relief scheme at the appropriate time. Most evacuees will not be able to return to their homes for weeks yet.

The human cost of these mammoth floods is too huge to contemplate. Without having experienced something like this first-hand, one can only wonder how people will manage to get their lives back together. The loss of personal possessions would have a devastating effect on many people - especially the elderly who live for their life's memories. Some possessions can be replaced, but things like photographs and other personal mementos will be gone forever.

Many of these flood victims will need to access counseling services or support from their communities.

The commercial cost of widespread flooding in Queensland

Most of the affected areas are rural centers where a large proportion of the country's fresh produce is grown. Sugar cane crops in far north Queensland have been ruined. Wheat almost ready to be harvested in Western Queensland has been destroyed. Fruit and vegetable crops in most of the affected areas have been decimated. All this adds up to Australia having a shortage of fresh produce for some time to come. Costs will rise and imports will have to be considered. Authorities are predicting prices rising by at least 50% for most fresh produce.

In addition, 75% of the coal mines in Queensland have had to shut down temporarily. It is not known when they will re-open as they rely on the rail network to get coal to the ports for export to overseas buyers.

All these things will have a big impact on Queensland's economy for some time to come. It is hard to measure the actual cost, but it would be in the billions.

To read about the extent of the Queensland floods - CLICK HERE.

To view flood pictures - CLICKHERE.

Sources:

http://www.google.com.au/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=Queensland+floods&meta=cr%3DcountryAU&btnG=Google+Search

To view more of my content - CLICK HERE