Yesterday, I turned on the television at around 6pm, I watched in shock to find that the Lockyer Valley, out near the Darling Downs, below the Garden City of Toowoomba was hit by an 8 metre wall of water. Entire towns of Helidon, Withcott and Grantham were inundated by the water so fast that the residents were forced to climb onto the roofs of their homes and wait until they were rescued.
Cars from Murphy's Creek upstreams ended up in trees kilometres downstream; and houses were shifted off their foundations; looking like they had been bulldozered. This sudden flooding took these people by such surprise that some have been found clinging to trees and 50 were up on higher land in the primary school. Everyone in these communities have lost everything in such a short length of time and so soon after Christmas too.
However, there have been casualties of eight people; and there are still people to be found, and it's believed that 70 people are still missing.
Our State Premier, Anna Bligh, has said that this is our darkest hour of the flood crisis of the last fortnight; and that what has unfolded in the Lockyer Valley will test our already stretched rescue teams.
Queensland Police Commissioner, Bob Atkinson said, "What hit Toowoomba could be best described as an inland instant tsunami. We're doing all we can but we won't have a full appreciation of what's happened until during the day (Tuesday)."
I've been listening to the radio this morning and heard that Laidley, Forrest Hill and Gatton are going to be evacuated today as the water from the Lockyer Valley makes it way to the Brisbane River. Today, the Brisbane River will rise 2 metres with the high tide; and 3 metres tomorrow. Otherwise, until the next news on this flood crisis, stay safe, dry and I'll still be here keeping you all updated.
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