Brisbane floods

Brisbane floods will be worse than 74

Almost 40,000 Brisbane properties are expected to be affected when river levels rise above the heights experienced in the catastrophic 1974 floods.

 

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said a "frightening" situation was developing in Brisbane and the city of Ipswich to the west, with evacuations under way ahead of the Brisbane River's expected peak on Thursday.

 

Forecasts indicate the Brisbane River will rise beyond the 5.45 metres seen in 1974, when at least 6,700 homes were partially or totally flooded in the Brisbane metropolitan area.

 

The Bremer River at Ipswich is expected to rise to about 18 metres by midnight (AEST) and peak on Wednesday at around 21 to 22 metres, above the peak of 20.6m reached in 1974 when 1,800 homes and businesses were flooded and 41 homes washed away.

 

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman earlier said 6,500 homes and businesses were expected to experience direct "significant" flooding, affecting 14,900 people.

 

"If it keeps raining all night and tomorrow the way it's been raining in the catchment today, who knows what happens then on Friday."

 

Mr Newman said the operators of the Wivenhoe dam, built west of Brisbane to protect the city after the 1974 disaster, had no choice but to release floodwaters into the Brisbane River.