Exodus from city center as Brisbane flood threat grows

[Barrett808]

Roads out of Brisbane are clogged as office workers seek to flee the city while the river breaches its banks at multiple locations.

The Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre, formally ANZ Stadium, is being prepared as a possible evacuation centre.

Eagle Street at the pier is now underwater, according to police.

Police have advised there have been no forced evacuations in the CBD, however numerous employers have advised their workers to go home. ...

Exodus from city center as Brisbane flood threat grows

[gateley]

1. Good heavens -- is this something that occurs somewhat frequently, do you know?

Or another "never seen this happen before" type of thing? I've said it before and I'm serious, if I were a Christian I'd be thinking 'apocalypse'. All the horrific weather conditions all around the world...

[OnlinePoker]

3. They have had severe flooding in the past

From the graphs at the following link, really bad in the 1800's, but I would think river diversions or controls would be the reason they've been limited in the past 100 years. It looks like there was a really bad one in the 70's.

http://www.bom.gov.au/hydro/flood/qld/fld_history/brisbane_history.shtml

[gateley]

4. Thanks! nt

[Barrett808]

5. It's probably once-a-century flooding -- check out this precipitation graph:

Australia floods highlight record rainfall

[Nihil]

2. Not looking good down there ...

> Authorities are conducting new modelling to see what the wall of water ripping
> through the Lockyer Valley will mean for Wivenhoe Dam, Premier Anna Bligh says,
> as Brisbane and south-east Queensland prepares for more severe weather today.
>
> Much of the deluge that fell in the Toowoomba region and is now ripping a path
> of devastation in the Lockyer Valley will move into the catchment of the Wivenhoe
> Dam system that feeds Brisbane.

:-(

[Patiod]

6. BBC World News has been covering this

it sounds terrifying - lots of people becoming completely cut off from "civilization" by the water.