Recently I read the definition of a 1 in 50, or 1 in 100 year flood. Apparently it does not mean that a big flood is only likely to occur once every 50 or 100 years, but it does mean that there is a 1 in 50 (2%) or 1 in 100 (1%) chance of such a flood occurring...........apparently
From the scale of the flooding in Queensland I think that this must be a 1 in 1000 year disaster. Nobody has ever seen flooding on such a massive scale, and the cost to Queensland's, and Australia's economy, will be counted in the billions of dollars, to say nothing of the human cost.
Reports coming in from Brisbane say that the CBD is almost a ghost town, with bus services being progressively wound down as the river level rises. Train services are also severely disrupted, and road travel is very restricted in riverside and low lying suburbs. The city of Ipswich, just to the west of Brisbane, is cut in half by water, and many properties are, or soon will be flooded. It is reported that nearly 20,000 homes will be flood affected to some degree, and over 2100 roads are flooded in the Brisbane / Ipswich areas. Over 90 people are now listed as missing, and emergency services are starting to look for survivors who may have escaped the floods, but who have been unable to notify others that they are safe. It is to be hoped they all are, but grave fears are held for their safety.
The floods in south east Queensland have drawn attention away from other parts of the state which are still badly affected by water. The small town of Condamine, about 340km west of Brisbane, is preparing to evacuate for the second time in 10 days, and many other small towns are still isolated. The water is slowly receding in bigger cities such as Rockhampton and Bundaberg, but it will take many days, even weeks, before Rockhampton is clear.
Peter.