Residents of Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city, are being evacuated in the face of flash floods which have killed nine and left 66 missing.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard warned Australia to prepare for the worst after floods described as an “inland tsunami” smashed into the mountainside town of Toowoomba, sweeping away entire houses.
“Yesterday we saw some simply shocking events in Toowoomba and other communities in the Lockyer Valley, literally walls of water smashing into cars and into buildings,” she said.
“We have seen very dramatic images of cars tossed around, people on roofs of houses and on the roofs of cars and people literally hanging on for dear life to trees and to signposts.”
Queensland state premier Anna Bligh warned that the death toll would rise “potentially quite dramatically”, with families among those missing and rescue efforts hampered by heavy rain and washed-away roads.
“Mother Nature has delivered something terrible in the last 48 hours but there’s more to go and our emergency people are more than up to that task,” she said. “This is going to be, I think, a very grim day, particularly for the people in that region, and a desperate hour here in Queensland.”
Floods that have devastated an area the size of France and Germany combined threatened central Brisbane, forcing evacuations in a riverside inner city area and warnings for the suburbs.
“All members of the community who live or are currently near the Brisbane River at West End are advised to move to higher ground,” Queensland police said in a statement.
Hundreds of people were air-lifted out of outlying towns as floods that have cost billions of dollars in damage spread yet further.
Tourism Queensland said: “Due to localised flooding, some tourism operations in Brisbane are currently closed. Tourism Queensland recommends contacting operators directly for the latest update.”
Toowoomba mayor Peter Taylor said the town was struck without warning after two waterways suddenly overflowed.
“Torrential rain over a very short period of time came down two major creeks through the middle of the city which are normal quiet drainage ways, and people had no warning at all,” Taylor was quoted as saying.
“It was just unprecedented. Some people are saying an inland tsunami, and I think that probably sums it up really.”