Horror and heroism in the Queensland flood disaster

The latest news is that of floodwater receding in Brisbane and surging into other areas in Queensland.  The video clips on TV last night showed passable city streets, cars back on the road and residents cleaning up the debris in their houses and yards.

Front page, 12 January 2011.

It was good to hear that 95% of the members of the Filipino communities in the affected areas did not have to abandon their homes, and the 5% who were in the evacuation centers have returned home.

Front Page, 14 January 2011.

 Brisbane got hit with its worst flood in 118 years since 1893 (Brisbane Times, 12 Jan).  That's all because Queensland had its wettest on record last year--"the wettest spring on record, the wettest September and December, while every month from August to December ranked in their respective top 10s"  with the average annual rainfall at 1109.73 mm against the mean rainfall for all of Australia at 690 mm (Nancarrow, 05 Jan).

"It's a tragedy of epic proportions," Glenda Kwek wrote (11 Jan), "as overwhelming volumes of water cut a destructive swathe through Queensland towards Brisbane and beyond, wrecking families and their fortunes in its path. ... rushing waters savaged Toowoomba, Lockyer Valley, Grantham and Murphys Creek in just one hour."

The turbulent waters claimed lives (15 deaths as of 14 Jan), damaged properties (up to 40,000) and totally crippled the state's mining industry (equivalent to $100-million lost per day in export revenues). The Cairn Post (14 Jan) puts the daily state loss at $460-million.

With Queensland under water and damage to rail services very extensive, the coal mines declared force majeure, creating a critical impact on supply and prices of thermal and metallurgical coals to consumers around the world..  

The sobering words of state Premier Anna Bligh and the heroism of citizens, the most heart-breaking of all that of 13-year old Jordan Rice who died to save his brother, stood out through the horror of the state's and Brisbane's massive flooding.

Bligh's ringing voice through the dark, dreadful weather --

Front page, 14 Jan 2011.

"It's breaking our hearts ... but it won't break our will."

Front page, 14 Jan 2011.

Clipping from The Border Mail 'the river city' front page. 

When the summer sun shines again on Queensland, and the long recuperation and restoration begins in the lives of families and communities, they will have Jordan Rice to remember and inspire. He reminds of the boy in the dike who plugs his finger through the leak and saves his town. Jordan's heroic act is an inspiring reminder in times of desperate circumstances.

The heroism of 13-year old Jordan is best described in the account of Peta Doherty and Nicky Phillips (How Jordan died to save his brother, Brisbane Times, 13 Jan):

Jordan Rice.  Source: Brisbane Times at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/how-jordan-died-to-save-his-brother-20110112-19obf.html

"IT IS almost unimaginable the fear 13-year-old Jordan Rice would have felt as the car he and his family were in was pummelled by a wall of water.

"But as it began engulfing the vehicle, Jordan, who could not swim himself, insisted his younger brother, Blake, 10, be rescued first.

"Five minutes later he was clinging to a pole, dodging cars and wheelie bins after he risked his life to try to save the Rice family.

"While Blake was rescued, Jordan and his mother, Donna, 43, perished when they were swept away in the flood.

"''When I first saw the car the water was up to the number plate,'' Mr McErlean, 37, a Toowoomba builder, told the Herald.

"''I thought I would push it backwards but by the time I walked 20 metres, it [the water] was up on the bonnet and coming up the windscreen.''

"Mr McErlean grabbed a rope, tied one end to a post, the other around his waist and set out to rescue the woman and two boys but the fast-moving water swept him downstream.

"Another rescuer, known only as Chris, pulled Mr McErlean to safety before tying the rope to himself and approaching the car to grab Jordan.

"But Jordan wanted his brother to go first so Chris took Blake, handing him to Mr McErlean part way across before heading back to the car.

"''I had the boy in one hand, the rope in the other. I wasn't going to let go but then the torrent came through and was pulling us down,'' Mr McErlean said.

"''Then this great big tall fellow just came out of nowhere, bear hugged us and ripped us out of the water.

"''When I got back I turned to look at the guy [Chris]. He looked at me and we knew it was over. The rope snapped and the car just flipped.''

"Chris, who had been holding Jordan's hand until it was torn from him, flew metres in the air before locking his legs around a post in the centre of the road, said Mr McErlean.

"''The others were just gone, just disappeared,'' he said."

 

Sources:

1.   Brisbane Times Online. Queensland Under Water at  http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/qldfloods

      1.1   05 Jan 2011. Dan Nancarrow. 2010: Queensland's wettest year on record

      1.2   05 Jan 2011. Staff Reporters.   Flood recovery leader appointed

      1.3   11 Jan 2011. Glenda Kwek.   A terror that took their breath away ... and it's coming again

      1.4   11 Jan 2011. Staff Reporters.  Brisbane prepares for worst flood in 118 years

      1.5   13 Jan 2011. Peta Doherty and Nicky Phillips.  How Jordan died to save his brother

  

2.    Herald Sun (Melbourne) at http://www.heraldsun.com.au/

3..   The Cairns Post (Cairns) at http://www.cairns.com.au/

4.   Townsville Bulletin (Townsville) at http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/ 

5.   The Border Mail (Albury-Wodonga) at http://www.bordermail.com.au/