Images of the Brisbane floods 2011

High water everywhere. This is Part 2 of the Brisbane floods. Read Part 1 here:
brisbane-queensland-flood-disaster-2011.


Prologue (01 February 2011):
Queensland is once again bracing for another natural disaster.
In the next 24 hours or so, North Queensland, centered on Cairns, will be hit by what is predicted as possibly the worst tropical storm ever. Experts are saying that Cyclone Yasi is comparable to Hurricane Katrina that hit the US in 2005. This superstorm looms just after the floods last month, the worst natural disaster in Australia's history.
Can it get worse?

But first-
With a measly 35,000 words this post has to be one of the longest blogs ever. This is a photoblog, and if a picture's worth a thousand words, and there's at least 35 photos here, you can do the maths :-).

Path of the flood. From Toowoomba to Brisbane is about 140km as the crow flies.




The orange balloons mark flooded areas.

The blue lines are the approximate centre threads of the rivers Lockyer, Stanley, Brisbane and Bremer (in Ipswich).



On the two days of the peak of the floods (13-14 January 2011), I voluntarily reported to the floodzones, albeit i was still officially on leave. At some stage in the future, I might be involved in delineating some of the extents of the floods.
During the floods, the authorities have been pleading with people to stay off the streets and away from the flooded areas. But the term 'rubbernecker' exists for good reason. Some people just have the desire to have a look.
Lest I be mistaken for a rubbernecker, and to look like an official, I took out my Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC ID card issued for working in the Port of Brisbane).

Many graphic, striking, and unforgettable images have been shown on TV and news outlets and will stay imprinted in many people's memories for a long time. The photos below are not of the devastation - we've seen enough of those - rather to show the extents of the floods - how high and far and wide(vertically and laterally).

Under the Captain Cook bridge (Southeast Freeway)

Snagged under the Goodwill bridge. I did a bit of work for that bridge as well as Kurilpa bridge upstream.

Cars on a standstill on the Captain Cook, onlookers at the cliffs, and sailing debris.

'Jetty' in Bulimba.

Getting toes wet. They need a ferry to get to the ferry.

Showtime. It's a packed house on the Kangaroo Point cliffs.

Various media organisations have encamped there for days.

These boats are lucky they're well secured. Many others have floated past, to the sea.

High water on a sunny day. Very surreal.

Just on the river's edge in the CBD on the left (near the boats) is the Eagle street pier.

This precinct was among the first to go underwater.

There must be nothing compared to watching the river grow.

It's called 'Forceful Brisbane'. Quite apt.

Rubberneckers.

We call them UZIs in the Philippines. I hear there's an anti-usisero bill afoot there.

An onlooker. I like looking on too, sometimes. To the city highrise.

Brown mud stains on a high river bank in Indooroopilly show how high the floodwaters rose.

Another lamented ferry terminal.

Playgrounds are offlimits for now.

The days were fine during the height of the floods. It was so eerie.

Got that sign right.

Police have cordoned off all access to the parklands.

It was quiet there for awhile. Until Julia came to have a look-see.

Ms Gillard, the PM was there to do media interviews. And she brought along her security detail. A media scrum soon ensued. I could not even get close for a Prime ministerial hug and kiss - as you do.

This is not a lake. It's a flooded site in Newstead.

Gauging the depth of the floodwaters.

Click below to watch a slideshow of the photos (with music).