THE QUEENSLAND capital Brisbane was bracing itself last night for a 4am high tide of 5.2 metres, with more than 30,000 properties expected to be inundated.
More than 2,000 streets are likely to be flooded in the city.
State premier Anna Bligh warned that Brisbane residents were going to wake up to a scene of devastation.
“We will wake tomorrow to an image of Brisbane . . . that will shock many of us and I do say to people that we need to be ready for that,” she said.
“People need to brace themselves. I think we are going to see some extraordinary solidarity overnight . . . and I think that we are going to wake up to a shocking and remarkable challenge. But I sense that this is a challenge we are up to and a challenge we will meet.”
The death toll from this week’s disastrous floods rose to 12 yesterday, with grave fears held for 43 people who are still unaccounted for.
Four temporary morgues have been set up on higher ground west of Brisbane and five evacuation centres have been established.
Brisbane’s city centre was a ghost town yesterday, with a major expressway closed after floodwaters rose to within two metres of the road. All bridges across the Brisbane river were closed. Most of the Queen Street Mall shopping district was also closed, with sandbags lining shopfronts at the lower end of the street, close to the river.
Brisbane mayor Campbell Newman called for residents to take sensible precautions. “People shouldn’t muck around. If they’re on the flood map, if their street is on the list, make the decision to get out,” he said.
The rising Bremer river flooded numerous homes and businesses in nearby Ipswich, with evacuations centres overflowing. Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale was furious after hearing of several reports of looting. “If I find anybody looting in our city they will be used as flood markers,” he said.
Search-and-rescue teams were able to enter the Lockyer Valley yesterday as water levels slowly inched down there. The region was devastated by what has been called “an inland tsunami” on Monday and is where most of the flood deaths have taken place.
The search teams went through destroyed homes and bushland looking for missing persons in the towns of Grantham, Postmans Ridge and Murphys Creek.
A helicopter was also sent to the valley to rescue a woman who gave birth late on Tuesday night. Mother and baby are doing well.
As the floodwaters move south, 3,000 people have been evacuated in northern New South Wales and another 5,000 have been cut off.
The department of immigration and citizenship has announced support for Irish and other foreign visa-holders in flood-affected areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales. Foreign nationals holding a visa which is about to expire, or working for a business which has been affected, have been urged to contact the department as soon as possible to discuss their circumstances.