Case Study- Queensland Floods

Case Study- Queensland Floods

1. General information and causes

   • Queensland received the highest record of rainfall between December and January 2010-2011.
   • The storm was quite concentrated, with the highest rainfall recorded in the west and northwest of Brisbane.
   • La nina- intense tropical low pressure seasonal weather also affected the east coast of Australia.
   • Heavy and intense rainfall from 9-12th January causes flash flooding in Brisbane.
   • This level of flooding has a recurrence rate of 20-50 years.
   • In some places rainfall levels were over 200mm a day.

2. Effects

   • Food shortages due to agricultural land being destroyed.
   • No electricity, intermittent phone range.
   • Over 300 roads and 9 major highways were closed.
   • 3/4 of council areas in the Queensland state were declared disaster zones.
   • 38 people from Queensland died.
   • 1,000 people from Theodore and other towns were evacuated.
   • Total costs were estimated to be around $2.8 billion.
   • At least 70 towns and over 200,000 people were affected,

3. Responses

   • International aid from countries such as the UK and USA were provided.
   • Private collections of food, clothes and toys were made.
   • Helicopters saved people from their homes.
   • Evacuation camps were made in showgrounds with capacities of 3,000 people.
   • The Red Cross database helped people get information about family/ friends.
   • A total of 55,000 volunteers offered assistance, including 22,000 from the Army.
   • Police were allowed to forcibly remove residents if necessary.