Australia is now plagued
with one of the worst floods in 50 years due to torrential rainfalls brought about by the influence of La Nina and a tropical cyclone. Floods have hit Australia since December 29, 2010 and as of January 6, 2011, the flood waters have inundated more than 40 towns and even threaten the survival of corals at the Great Barrier Reef as tonnes of sludge enter the sea and threaten the living environment of the corals which require pristine, clear waters in order to thrive.
With more than two weeks of torrential rainfalls have hit Australia, causing floods in Queensland and Brisbane. In Rockhampton, a regional centre of Queensland, which lies on the Fitzroy River, saw the river peaked at 9.2 metres. Rockhampton’s airport was closed when its
runways went underwater. The inundation also cut off the access to main roads and railways leading to the city and disrupted power supplies. Warnings were given out by the authorities to alert residents of marauding crocodiles and venomous snakes were flushed from their habitats as they are searching for dry grounds. Floods that hit Queensland since January 2, 2011, had inundated an area of the size of France and Germany, which is 85,000 square kilometres. More than 200,000 people had their homes destroyed by the floods. The economy of Queensland have been badly hit as the mining and agricultural sector have been disrupted by the floods and caused damages of up
to billions of dollars. Queensland’s tourism industry have also been badly devastated as it is among the top tourist destinations in Australia, given attractions such as the Gold Coast stretch of beaches and the Great Barrier Reef. There will be a significant loss of tourist dollars amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars,with many people cancelling their visits to Queensland.
On January 12, 2011, Brisbane was hit by torrents of water due to the 
convergence of the raging waters. The floods that affected Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city, are the worst to hit the city in a century. The Brisbane River which runs through the city, was a fast moving torrent of brown, murky water filled with debris. Flash floods were also witnessed in towns that are in close proximity to Melbourne. The city of Brisbane was shut down as the flood waters swamped into the city centre, unleashing an ‘inland tsunami’ on the Central Business District (CBD) area of Brisbane, transforming the dry streets into a watery ghost town of concrete towers. The overall scale of flooding in Australia had a dampening effect on its thriving economy. The Australian dollar dipped to its lowest level since the onset of the floods. It is estimated that the floods could diminish 1% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), standing at around A$13 billion. In Brisbane, more than 15,000 homes and shops were destroyed by the floods and about 45,000 people were evacuated from their homes. With the receding of waters in the Brisbane River, the authorities have divided the city into 5 clean up zones and the police have been roped in to facilitate in the regulation of traffic, helping with the clean-up and preventing looting.
References
- The Straits Times (January 3, 2011). ‘Emergency could last another month’.
- The Straits Times (January 6, 2011). ‘Great Barrier Reef may be floods’ next victim’.
- The Straits Times (January 13, 2011). ‘Hit: Homes, livelihoods, the economy’.
- The Straits Times (January 14, 2011). ‘Massive bills loom as waters recede’.
- http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/14/australia.floods/
- http://newstodaynews.com/alligators-and-snakes-become-the-threat-residents-who-get-caught-flooding-in-queensland-northeastern-of-australia/16322
- http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/01/the-australian-floods/
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/15/3113457.htm
- http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-12/brisbane-floods-worsen-as-death-toll-reaches-23-in-queensland-67-missing.html
