Live webcam over water being released from Wivenhoe Dam



Webcam single image of water
being released from Wivenhoe Dam.
Click on pic for link to live streaming vision

Seqwater has a live streaming webcam of water being released from Wivenhoe Dam.

You can even take control of the camera:

http://www.previous.seqwater.com.au/public/source-store-treat-supply/dams/wivenhoe-dam

Click on: "Watch the Operational Safety Camera" near the top right of the Seqwater webpage.

Get set for another big wet in SEQ

BOM Radar SEQ 6.48am 25 Feb 2013

Heavy rain is falling across southeast Queensland in what is expected to be the start of a 48-hour deluge.

A monster wild weather system set in over the southeast corner in the early hours of Monday, as a surface trough moved across the coast.

The bureau has warned of strong winds and flash flooding, as up to 200 millimetres of rain is expected to fall in parts of the southeast in the next 24 hours.

Up to 100 millimetres of intense rain could fall within a six-hour period in coastal areas, the bureau has warned.

"That could cause some problems," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Ken Kato said.

In Brisbane, more than 25 millimetres fell within one hour from 5.30am on Monday.

"The rain has really set in this morning," Mr Kato said.

The bureau renewed a severe weather warning for southeast Queensland as a surface trough made landfall early Monday morning.

The warning was issued for Gladstone, Gympie, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast and adjacent hinterland areas.

The wet weather is likely to continue through to next weekend - the bureau is forecasting heavy rain through to Tuesday, with showers easing on Wednesday, returning Thursday and a possible and amplifying on Friday to a possible storm which could carry into the weekend.

To help mitigate the risk of flooding in the Brisbane River catchment Seqwater has increased the rate of release of water at Wivenhoe Dam to reduce levels from 89 per cent to the temporary full supply level of 88 per cent.

Colleges Crossing was closed on Sunday night as a result.

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

25.2.13

Anguish flooding back for Ipswich flood survivors

RISING CONCERNS: AMA Queensland
president Dr Alex Markwell.


THE mental health of Ipswich flood victims is at the forefront of AMA Queensland's concerns following the threat of rising water last month.

AMA Queensland president Dr Alex Markwell said the recent storm and flooding led the medical association to launch the See the Signs campaign.

She urged Ipswich residents to look out for each other as the city recovered from another flood.

Her concern was matched by Mayor Paul Pisasale, who felt the community angst was amplified when floodwaters threatened Ipswich on Australia Day.

Dr Markwell said the campaign listed seven signs indicating a loved one or friend might be suffering from mental trauma.

Judging by past disaster experience, there was a marked increase in mental health issues, she said.

"An AMA Queensland survey following the floods in 2011 found 31% of Ipswich residents were very concerned about the mental health of family and friends," she said.

"Also almost 60% of doctors had seen or expected to see a spike in mental health cases.

"This time round, even those who weren't flooded still have to cope with the fear and upheaval."

Cr Pisasale said mentally the floods still affected many.

"The most important thing is it's about yourself. We are trying to get the message out there," he said.

 

"Knowing what the signs are and if you know somebody experiencing it, to be a good friend you need to tell them to get help.
 

"The mental anguish was three times as bad in 2013.
 

"They remembered the nightmares of 2011 and had to go through them again."
 

Dr Markwell hoped the pre-emptive strategy would help everyone recognise the symptoms of psychological distress.
 

"We are hoping that this time around people will take more notice of their own thoughts and behaviours, and that of family and friends," she said.
 

"AMA Queensland, with the support of Queensland Health,is relaunching its poster and radio campaign to help people 'See the Signs'.
 

"If you don't address it now it will continue to fester, and what happens in five years time may not be directly related, but it may have begun then."

The Seven Signs 

• Poor sleep and nightmares
• Tearful or fragile
• Drug or alcohol use
• Withdrawing from family
• Poor work performance
• Avoiding social events
• Irritability with family

www.QT.com.au

22.2.13
 

Goodna spared flood heartbreak

Ipswich appears to have averted a 2011-style disaster, with the Bremer River peaking below the feared forecast of 15 metres.

The river peaked at 13.9 metres at 9:30pm Monday, before falling to 13.3 metres at 3am.

Local councillor Paul Tully said he was “cautiously optimistic” that the Brisbane River through Goodna had avoided a predicted peak of 9 metres.

The Brisbane River keeps its distance
from the Ipswich Motorway at Goodna.
Pic: Peter Doherty, Channel Seven

“Residents here will be overjoyed this morning,” said an emotional Cr Tully, who lost his own home in the floods two years ago.

He has visited Enid Street, where residents spent yesterday moving what they could to higher ground, and says the Woogaroo Creek is still at least four metres below the road level.

“We’re talking about a street that had water over the roofs two years ago, and there isn't even any water on the street," he said.



People remove belonging from homes ahead of a
predicted flood in Enid Street at Goodna.
Photo: Harrison Saragossi

Recovery and clean-up operations around southeast Queensland are set to get even stickier today, with forecast top temperatures in the 30s.

“Ex-tropical cyclone Oswald hasn’t quite finished with us yet,” said Jonty Hall from the Bureau of Meteorology.

The core of the system has moved into New South Wales, putting the southeast on its northern side and in the line of westerly winds.

“Westerlies tend to hold out sea breezes, and with the sun coming out today, it’s going to get quite warm.”

Brisbane is expected to get a top of 33 degrees.

BOM hydrologist Jeff Carey said the Brisbane River would peak just before midday.

“This morning’s high tide is expected to be the most severe of the next three high tides,” he said.

“We’re looking at around 2.6 metres at the city gauge.”

Thousands of homes risk inundation through the day.

The Brisbane City Council has also warned residents in riverside or foreshore locations that a storm surge of 1.16 metres is expected above the higher-than-normal high tide around 11:15am.

Mr Carey said the Albert River at Beenleigh was believed to have peaked at minor flood level of 6 metres overnight, which would be confirmed once observations were taken at the manual stations.

The Logan River at Waterford was expected to reach 8 metres this afternoon, and 5 metres was forecast for Eagleby tonight.

Translink is advising of major delays across the public transport network, with CityCats and ferries still offline, and train services severely disrupted. Ticketing equipment has also been affected at some stations due to flooding and power outages.

Energex reports around 162,000 homes and businesses are still without power in the southeast.


www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

29.1.13

QBE's act of bastardry to 2011 flood victims overruled by Financial Ombudsman

The Financial Ombudsman Service has ruled that QBE's definition of flood, which excluded water deliberately released from a dam onto land that is not normally covered by water, does not apply to a pontoon, because the released water flowed where it was normally covered by water.  

It followed that loss or damage to a pontoon was NOT excluded by QBE's definition.  

COMMENT: QBE should get rid of their buffoons who can't even correctly interpret QBE's own insurance policies. 

Suncorp flood claims mount as governments wrangle over funds

About 80 per cent of Suncorp’s provision
for natural disaster claims has been taken up.

Large-scale flooding across Queensland and NSW last month will cost Suncorp between $200 million and $220 million in claims, accounting for much of the insurer’s provision for natural disasters for the current financial year.

Bushfires and storms in Victoria and Tasmania in January will also total $50 million, adding to the $147 million in natural hazard claims already booked in the December half of 2012.

All up, that means about 80 per cent of Suncorp’s $520 million provision for natural disaster claims has already been taken up with five months of the financial year still to run.

Separately, the states will be watching closely how Queensland and the federal government resolve a key reconstruction issue potentially worth billions of dollars.

Last month’s floods provide “a window” of opportunity to ensure the reconstruction of major assets such as bridges after a disaster is of a greater resilience than the infrastructure that had been destroyed, said David Crisafulli, one of the state ministers leading recovery efforts.

Debate over the so-called “betterment” provisions of national relief and recovery arrangements had flared after assets newly rebuilt after the Queensland floods of 2011 had been damaged or destroyed in the latest inundation - with work completed just weeks ago in some cases near Bundaberg.

The floods “provided a window on how absurd our practise has been in replacing infrastructure” destroyed in a disaster, Mr Crisafulli said. “It’s in the interest of the federal government – and everybody else – to get it right the first time.”

A teleconference on Tuesday between Joe Ludwig, the federal minister appointed to assist the Queensland floods recovery, though, appears to have reached a breakthrough over the guidelines for assistance.

“There was a genuine willingness from Senator Joe Ludwig to stand shoulder to shoulder with the state,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Under existing rules, the federal government will typically fork out 75 per cent of the cost of replacing assets lost in a disaster, with the state paying the rest. Should the road or other public asset be improved to increase its tolerance for future extreme events, the federal and state government split the cost – a result that has often proved too costly or difficult to achieve.

“We will work with Queensland to develop and deliver a revised National Partnership Agreement that meets the needs of the state to rebuild, be stronger, and get back on its feet,” Senator Ludwig said.

“There is some flexibility in guidelines and the National Partnership Agreement will help us fast-track assistance, cut through red tape and get the right assistance to where it is needed.”

The outcome of the revisions will no doubt be followed closely in other state capitals. NSW has also suffered losses in the recent floods, while Victoria and Tasmania may seek commonwealth support in the wake of this summer’s fires.

Donations to the Red Cross Queensland Floods Appeal, meanwhile, remain meagre with about $6 million donated so far, Mr Crisafulli said.

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

7.2.13

Flood-fleeing rodents can't dodge Roger the rat-catching greyhound

 'Roger the rat catcher' from Goodna. Roger
can catch rats which have increased after the floods.

Keiron Butler with a rat found on his
Goodna property. Mr Butler says rats
are a more common problem in Goodna
since the 2011 floods.

GIANT rodents are back infesting Goodna, but Roger the rat-catching greyhound is loving every minute of it.

Goodna resident Keiron Butler, a leading greyhound trainer, said the rats were "breeding like wildfire" and moving up into unoccupied homes after being disturbed by last week's floods.

Cr Paul Tully has also encouraged people to cut their grass to prevent another major outbreak of the vermin.

Rats were caught in Goodna as big as bandicoots and possums after the 2011 floods. Mr Butler said Roger, an expert rat exterminator, had been kept busy. Mr Butler's rat baits also killed a rat the size of a bilby last week.

"Roger the rat catcher is doing well," Butler said.

"He catches rats most mornings and he has been doing his job patrolling the house at night. He keeps an eye on the place, and if he sees a rat he grabs it. I've got to get it out of his mouth otherwise he'll eat it.

"He's getting older and slower but he's still doing his job is old Roger the rat catcher.

"There are big rats coming from the river and we are seeing more of an impact since the floods.

"I've had to put more baits out and I caught a rat the other day that was as big as a bilby.

"They did quieten down over the last six months, but they are back now."

Cr Tully said residents should be on the lookout.

"We got reports of a rat infestation within hours of the flood," Cr Tully said.

"People in Woogaroo Street were saying that the rats were coming up out of the river and going into homes again.

"We need people to keep their grass down so it doesn't get overgrown and provide easy hiding for rats.

"Council will be on top of that and serving notices on people with long grass.

"Some of the homes haven't been reoccupied and they are re-infestation points.

"These rats live along the river and creek banks and with all the rain they have been flushed out.

"We have to address this problem again with baiting, rat traps and with people being vigilant.

"It was a major problem in 2011 to eliminate the rats. They are big and they are back."

www.QT.com.au

7.2.13

Flood recovery Minister David Crisafulli wants improved infrastructure



Local Government Minister David Crisafulli



Relocation plans like Grantham 2011, levee banks around towns, new dams and better bridges are all ‘‘on the table’’ for Queensland’s 2013 flood recovery, the minister in charge said last night.

Townsville’s former deputy mayor and the current Local Government Minister David Crisafulli will this morning be sworn in as Queensland’s ‘‘newest’’ minister.

Mr Crisafulli will assume the extra responsibilities as the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience.

The former journalist and Townsville councillor will oversee the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in his new role.

‘‘Cabinet will certainly discuss the way forward for the flood recovery,’’ Mr Crisafulli said, referring to the meeting to take place this morning.

He welcomed the appointment yesterday by Premier Campbell Newman of experienced army officers Colonel Don Cousins and Brigadier Bill Mellor to get the flood recovery underway.

‘‘They will make sure that things happen on the ground,’’ Mr Crisafulli said.

‘‘They will work through the QRA to make sure that we set ourselves milestones and that we deliver them."

Mr Crisafulli said no-one was underplaying the extent of the repairs, with damage estimates now closing on $26 billion.

Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Gayndah and Bundaberg appear the worst-hit towns.

‘‘It is not a task for the faint-hearted and there will be bumps along the way,’’ he said.

‘‘There will be times when neighbours get a bit cross with neighbours, and times when people get a bit angry with their local councils.

‘‘And even times when they get angry with the state.

‘‘And that is that is completely understandable.

‘‘But I think what they need to see - at the end of all that though - is that we not just rebuild Queensland, but to make it more resilient Queensland.’’

Mr Crisafulli said he wanted to discuss part-relocation plans, similar to the scheme that the Queensland Reconstruction Authority engineered for some residents in Grantham in 2012.

‘‘Everything is on the table,’’ he said.

‘‘There is part-relocations like we saw in Grantham; there has got to be levee banks put on the table; there’s got to be dams put on the table.

‘‘It all must be considered.’’

Mr Crisafulli said his background in local government told him that councils often had the best knowledge of when infrastructure should be upgraded.

He wants to change the current position of replacing ‘‘like for like’’ as bridges were repaired.

‘‘When we are upgrading infrastructure, we must look not just to replace it, but look to improve it so that we are not having to go back and replace the same things year on year," he said.

‘‘Which is what we are seeing at the moment.’’

He described standing on a bridge in Monto this week, only recently rebuilt after being destroyed in the 2011 floods.

‘‘If you ask any council they will tell you that they have always argued wit the state, ‘Why can’t we replace this particular asset that has been destroyed with a better standard to prevent having to come back," Mr Crisafulli said.

‘‘And the argument has always been ‘No, its repairs ‘like for like’.’’

‘‘It might mean that it does cost more the first time, but you might not have to go back, time and time again.’’

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

4.2.13

Suncorp defends flood record

Goodnas RSL Services Club 2011

 

AUSTRALIA'S largest insurer Suncorp says local government should have done far more to protect the flood-prone towns it controversially stopped selling policies to last year.

The group's insurance chief executive, Mark Milliner, responded after Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale last week accused the industry of refusing to pay out millions of dollars to flood victims while posting growing profits.

Massive floods have wreaked havoc in parts of Queensland in recent days, only two years after the destructive 2011 deluge.

Mr Milliner, who is also president of the Insurance Council of Australia, said Suncorp had lost a lot of money in insurance claims from towns it had stopped selling flood cover policies to, such as Roma and Emerald in outback Queensland.

"In Roma over the last three years from a business perspective we've probably collected about $4 million in premiums and spent about $150 million in claims," he told ABC TV's Inside Business.

"I think from a broad public and private sector we've spent nearly half a billion dollars in fixing up infrastructure, schools as well as homes up there."

A levee could have been built in the town eight years ago for $2 million, he said, but would now cost $15 million.

A levee was now planned for Roma, but in the meantime its average insurance premium had jumped to $3000, compared to nearby Tylerville, which had a $1200 average but also had a flood levy.

Premiums had increased broadly across Queensland and Australia over the past two years by about 10-15 per cent a year, Mr Milliner said.

"One of the solutions is to continue to have better flood mapping, understand the data and make sure we don't build houses in flood plains going forward."

Mr Milliner visited one of the worst-hit towns, Bundaberg, over the weekend.

He said it was too early to tell what the total loss to Suncorp would be from the floods.

 

www.TheAustralian.com.au

 

3.2.13

New $2.4m bowls club handed over at Goodna

 

GREAT DAY: Goodna Bowls Club president
Mal Levarre-Waters celebrates with Cr Paul Tully (left).

GOODNA Bowls Club president Mal Levarre-Waters was the happiest man in Ipswich when the keys to the new clubhouse were presented to him on Friday.

The club was devastated by the 2011 floods, but now a $2.4 million project funded by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, the Ipswich City Council and Federal and State governments has seen it presented with a brand, new clubhouse to be proud of.

The funding also paid for new change and amenity rooms for the Goodna Gladiators rugby union club and little athletics.

The Goodna Bowls Club battled on for two years in a couple of demountables, while the new clubhouse was being built.

It took its toll emotionally and financially on the club and its members but Mr Levarre-Waters said members could look forward to a bright future.

"This will be the best bowls club in the Ipswich and Brisbane area," he said.

"The clubhouse is a whole new building with a much larger entertainment area, a lovely kitchen and a brand new bar.

"Over the last two years we lost $200,000 because we couldn't put functions on, but this new clubhouse is going to be tremendous.

"We've lost a few members over the flood period, but we will get them back.

"We are going to have a good program to get people back. We'll have barefoot bowls, corporate bowls and we'll get the schoolkids back. We haven't had them here the last couple of years because we haven't had the facilities."

Goodna-based Cr Paul Tully said the handover of the keys was an important event.

"It reminds people that while we are sad for what we have lost, we are committed to getting our lives in our community back to normal," Cr Tully said.

"For our local lawn bowls champions, that means getting out of those demountables they've been stuck in for two years and back into a clubhouse they can call their own."

Cr David Morrison, the council's parks sports and recreation chairman, said the new clubhouse was "the second largest piece of all flood reconstruction work after Colleges Crossing".

www.QT.com.au

4.2.13

$176,000 fine awaiting owner of contraband bunnies found at flooded Goodna Boat Ramp

 

LOST: The rogue rabbits discovered
at the flooded Goodna boat ramp.

NOBODY is expected to come forward and claim the two domesticated rabbits that were found near the Goodna boat ramp at the height of this week's floods.

If they do, a fine of $176,000 could be waiting for them, unless they are a zookeeper - or magician.

Councillor Paul Tully found the pair of black rabbits and said "they were very tame".

"You could walk up to them and they came up to my feet to be fed," Cr Tully said.

"But there is an $88,000 fine per rabbit to keep them without a permit in Queensland.

"Usually only zoos and magicians can get the permits in this State to keep them."

Two years ago there were rumours of sharks in the Brisbane River at Goodna during the previous floods.

"This rabbit story is better than the shark story. The local butcher Steve Bateman saw the shark but we didn't have a picture of it in 2011," Cr Tully said.

"But we have got a picture of these rabbits that the council has caught on the junction of Brisbane River and Woogaroo Creek.

"Now they are in the hands of council officers who will look after them."

Cr Tully said he wasn't expecting anyone to claim the rabbits any time soon.

"No-one has yet put their hand up for the $176,000 fine for keeping them," he said

www.QT.com.au

2.2.13

Keys handed over for new Goodna Bowls Club

Goodna Bowls Club President Mal Levarre-Waters
opens the doors of the new clubhouse
for the first time as Cr Paul Tully (left)
and Cr David Morrison look on.

The keys to the new $2.4 million Goodna Bowls Club were officially handed over to Club President Mal Levarre-Waters by Division 2 Councillor Paul Tully this afternoon.

The old clubhouse was totally destroyed in the 2011 flood.

Club members were on hand for the special event.

1.2.13

Premier may keep Wivenhoe Dam gates open

CAMPBELL Newman has declared he could keep the gates of Wivenhoe Dam open as the southeast braces for days of heavy rainfall.

Mr Newman said some parts of the southeast were expected to receive up to 300mm of rain, which could force more water than initially planned to be dumped from Wivenhoe.

"I believe that there is a likelihood of more water being released," Mr Newman said yesterday following an emergency briefing.

"I don't see it stopping. I actually see a potentially higher discharge rate.

"That again is because we are all trying to make sure that we have the very best position when the rain really does start to come down."

www.CourierMail.com.au

27.1.13

COMMENT:  The Premier Campbell Newman is proving very shrewd over this issue. If Anna Bligh and Stephen Robertson had been similarly prepared to stand up to the faceless bureaucrats in Seqwater, the 2011 Brisbane River flood may have been avoided. 

Warnings of heavy rain and destructive winds for Brisbane until Monday

THE WEATHER bureau has warned of heavy rain and destructive winds of up to 125km/h for Brisbane from tonight as central Queensland is slammed by severe weather.

The bureau issued the alert this evening and warned of possible flash and riverine flooding.

In the next few days about 300mm of rain is expected in Wivenhoe Dam catchment, upstream of Brisbane, and coastal areas could get as much as 500mm.

Premier Campbell Newman said controlled releases from the dam are continuing and there is no doubt it will be able to cope with the influx of rainwater in the coming days.

"We can absorb that flood," he said.

The biggest risk will come from suburban creeks in the Gold and Sunshine Coast and greater Brisbane area.

www.CourierMail.com.au

26.1.13

Campbell Newman is live on Sky News now re the rain & flooding

Latest BOM Warning for SEQ

IDQ20032
Bureau of Meteorology
Queensland Regional Office


TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
for DESTRUCTIVE WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL, ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES and DANGEROUS SURF
For people in the 
Wide Bay and Burnett, 
Southeast Coast and parts of the 
Darling Downs and Granite Belt Forecast Districts.

Issued at 11:32 am Saturday, 26 January 2013.

Synoptic Situation:
At 10am EST, Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald was slow moving over the Central
Highlands and Coalfields district, about 75km northeast of Emerald and 290km west northwest of Gladstone [note corrected position]. 

Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald is expected to remain slow moving for much of today before shifting south southeast on Sunday. 

A trough extends from Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald to the southern Capricornia coast.

Damaging winds, with peak gusts of around 100km/h are possible over the Wide Bay and Burnett, northern stretches of the Sunshine Coast and northern parts of the Darling Downs and Granite Belt district, particularly over higher terrain. These
conditions are expected to contract southwards into the Southeast Coast district
and also extend west to the Great Dividing Range during Sunday, with destructive wind gusts in excess of 125 km/h possibly developing Sunday afternoon or
evening.

Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is expected over the Wide Bay and Burnett district and Southeast Coast district, extending west to the Great
Dividing Range. 

Six hour rainfall accumulations in excess of 100mm are likely,
particularly during Sunday. This could lead to rapid river and stream rises. 24 hour rainfall accumulations in excess of 250mm are likely.

Currently, the heaviest rain is located on radar over the southern Capricornia
district and through northern stretches of the Wide Bay and Burnett district.

Areas near Gladstone and south to Bundaberg have recorded 200 to 500mm in the 24
hours to 9am Saturday. Some areas through the southern Capricornia have now
recorded close to 900mm over the past 48 hours.

Water levels on the morning high tides are likely to exceed the highest tide of the year about coastal and island locations from Burnett Heads to the New South
Wales border during Sunday and Monday. The sea level is likely to rise above the normal tide and the exposed beaches will experience damaging waves and flooding of some low lying areas close to the shoreline.

Dangerous surf conditions, with significant beach erosion, are expected to develop along the coast from Burnett Heads to the New South Wales border from
today, but particularly Sunday and Monday. This includes Hervey Bay and northern parts of Moreton Bay.

Flood Warnings are current for various rivers and streams in these districts, see www.bom.gov.au/qld/warnings.

A separate Severe Weather Warning is current for the Capricornia and Central
Highlands and Coalfields districts.


Emergency Management Queensland advises that people should: 
 * Move your car under cover or away from trees. 
 * Secure loose outdoor items. 
 * Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees. 
 * Beware of fallen trees and powerlines. 
 * Avoid driving, walking or riding through flood waters. 
 * Keep clear of creeks and storm drains. 
 * Surf Life Saving Australia recommends that you stay out of the water and
stay well away from surf-exposed areas. 
 * Check your property regularly for erosion or inundation by sea water, and if
necessary raise goods and electrical items. 
 * For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500. 


The next warning is due to be issued by 5:35 pm.

Warnings are also available through TV and Radio broadcasts, the Bureau's
website at www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 219. 

The Bureau and Emergency Management Queensland would appreciate warnings being broadcast regularly. 

Brisbane River at Woogaroo Ck Goodna at the Boat Ramp. The river has risen by 1 metre since yesterday afternoon. No roads are under water in Goodna. In January 2011, the river rose 16.4 metres at Goodna, so there is no cause for any alarm.

Seqwater advises: Wivenhoe Dam releasing at 400m3/sec. Colleges Crossing will close 10am. Check local Council for road, bridge & flood information.

Look what's coming: BOM radar image at 6.42am

Wivenhoe to release water - but not on Seqwater's advice

People dodge the rain on Friday afternoon
 in the Brisbane CBD ahead of a forecasted
 wet weekend. 

Water will be released from Wivenhoe Dam in anticipation of up to 300 millimetres of rain being dumped on southeast Queensland over the weekend.

However, the order to release the water did not come from Seqwater.

Instead it came from Energy and Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle who, along with Premier Campbell Newman, told reporters it was designed to reassure people who were concerned about river flooding.

Wivenhoe Dam during a water release.

Mr Newman said Seqwater "fully supported" the decision and 41,000 megalitres would be released from Wivenhoe Dam over 24 hours from Friday afternoon.
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The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting 200-300 millimetres to fall on Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast on Saturday and Sunday.

The Wivenhoe Dam's water supply capacity is currently at about 91 per cent.

Once it reaches 100 per cent, it can hold another 100 per cent of water for flood mitigation.

In January 2011 the Wivenhoe Dam reached about 170 per cent after months of sustained rain.

During the flood dam releases peaked at 645,000 megalitres.

This weekend's release of about 41,000 megalitres represents about 1.8 per cent of Wivenhoe Dam's total capacity.

On Thursday Seqwater engineers advised the government there was no need for a water release.

When directly asked if its advice had changed, Mr Newman refused to answer.

"The situation is changed, the BOM forecast is changed, the rainfall estimates are much higher now from the BOM," he said.

"And as a result there has been, obviously, a re-evaluation.

"I'm quite happy to say, as Premier, a former lord mayor ... we're not just sitting here waiting to be given advice, we'll actively consider the matter."

Mr Newman said the real concern in Brisbane over the weekend would be suburban flooding, and stressed the importance of avoiding a "tragedy" by making sure children did not play in stormwater drains or swollen creeks.

Mr Newman's warning came as Police Minister Jack Dempsey prepared to tour central Queensland towns which had been lashed by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald.

Mr Dempsey slammed people who ignored warnings and were caught up in swift water.

"If it's flooded, forget it," Mr Dempsey said.

"We have seen some ridiculous situations throughout Queensland in the last 24 hours where people have unnecessarily put emergency services workers' lives at risk just simply for a little bit of tomfoolery."

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

25.1.13

Terri Benson - CEO Seqwater

COMMENT: Today's decision by the State Government to overrule Seqwater and order the release of water from Wivenhoe Dam must come as a huge kick in the guts to the new Seqwater CEO Terri Benson who has been in the job only 25 days.

Parachuted into the job after the former CEO Peter Borrows was given the Royal Order of the Boot on New Year's Day, Ms Benson must be severely embarrassed that her organisation has been overruled by a Premier appears to be more in touch with the feelings of the people of southeast Queensland than Seqwater will ever be.

Ms Benson has 2 options - cop it sweet or head back to the Central Coast of New South Wales where life is free of the stresses like constantly worrying about when the Premier is next going to publicly humiliate you.

BOM Alert at 4.45pm: Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is expected over the Wide Bay and Burnett district and areas of the Southeast Coast district north of Brisbane for the remainder of today, extending through remaining parts of the Southeast Coast district late tonight or early Saturday. 6 hour rainfall accumulations in excess of 100mm are likely.

There is no flooding at any of the usual hotspots around Goodna - Albert Street, Smiths Rd, Lower James Street, Woogaroo Street or Lower William Street.

Albert St Goodna between Alice St
 and Smiths Rd Friday afternoon.

This site will be updated as the rain depression approaches Ipswich and Brisbane during the next 72 hours.

You can also follow the latest flood news and Brisbane River updates at: www.facebook.com/paultully

Water to to be released from Wivenhoe Dam at 4pm

SEQ Water have confirmed that they expect to commence releases from Wivenhoe Dam at 4.00pm this afternoon at the rate of 300m3 per second. 

This will result in the closure of Colleges Crossing by approximately 9.00am tomorrow. 

SEQ Water are advising Department of Transport and Main Roads who will manage the closure as a State controlled road.

Goodna Boat Ramp at 3pm today.

Brisbane River at the Goodna Boat Ramp, off Noel Kelly Dr

The Brisbane River level is about normal level at 3pm today.

There is definitely nothing for the residents of Greater Goodna to be concerned about.

Water from Wivenhoe Dam releases will take 16 - 20 hours to get to Goodna.

Colleges Crossing is likely to be closed from about 9am tomorrow Saturday.

State Government is releasing water from Wivenhoe Dam this afternoon as a precaution. Everything is OK around Goodna, Gailes & Redbank. No need to panic - tell your neighbours.

The firm preparing to launch a class action against dam operators for the 2011 floods is yet to decide which court to file

Maurice and Blackburn lawyers principal Damian Scattini
addresses the crowd at a public meeting for
a proposed flood class action against the
State of Queensland on behalf of
thousands of victims
of the 2011 floods.

THE law firm expected to represent thousands of flood victims in a looming lawsuit against dam operators will be venturing into uncharted legal waters, and not everyone signed up for the case will be coming with them.

Maurice Blackburn and its lawsuit funder IMF have not made a final decision on where to file, but have initially rejected the Federal Court despite a track record of class action settlements there.

Complex litigation such as the flood case can take years and, unlike NSW and Victoria, Queensland does not have a class action procedure.

A Queensland lawsuit would be a representative action in the Supreme Court, alleging negligence in the flooding of parts of Brisbane and Ipswich in 2011.

Maurice Blackburn class action principal Damian Scattini said it was wrong to assume the case would be settled and not go to trial locally.

"Our preference is that it be litigated in Queensland. It happened in Queensland's back yard," he said.

However he said a filing south of the Queensland border was being considered.

About 4400 people registered with the law firm.

Hopes are high for a large payday, but experts say that is unlikely.

Most cases don't go to court, and are settled for amounts that give people a tiny share of their loss, after fees are deducted.

To strengthen their case and provide for larger payouts, law firms often reduce the size of the class or representative group, they say.

Mr Scattini said it was inappropriate to discuss the number of lead applicants now.

"We'll assess things at the end of registration," he said.

University of New South Wales associate law professor Michael Legg said deciding to go to the Supreme Court could be risky as the process was not suited to multiple complaints.

Monash University professor Vince Morabito said class actions filed in the past 20 years in the federal courts had a 50-50 chance of being settled for between $2 million and $200 million.

Prof Morabito did not think it would be difficult for Maurice Blackburn to get the flood class-action into the Federal Court by alleging trade practice breaches such as misleading and deceptive conduct.

"Maurice Blackburn must demonstrate to the Federal Court it has jurisdiction over the matter, negligence is not sufficient. But I don't think it would be difficult to identify legislation that would give them that jurisdiction," he said. "It's not hard."

www.CourierMail.com.au

25.1.13

Brisbane and southeast face localised flooding over weekend with potential for 300mm to fall before Monday

Heavy rain caused a big washout along part of the
Bruce Highway at roadworks at Cardwell.
Cardwell resident Les Harris looks at the damage. 

BRISBANE and parts of the southeast face localised flooding this weekend, with the potential for about 300mm or more of rain from today until Monday.

It will be the first good drenching of city back yards in six months and will be followed by hot and muggy conditions next week.

By the time it dissipates, the monsoon low will have brought rain to more than 2000km of Queensland's coast and parts of NSW.

Torrential rain has lashed north Queensland, with Ingham, Halifax and Tully and parts of Townsville suffering some flooding.

More than 25 bulk carriers were forced offshore yesterday as huge seas and torrential rain whipped up by ex-Cyclone Oswald shut down loading at Hay Point near Mackay, one of the world's biggest coal ports.

Port authorities expect it is likely to be a three-day delay costing the state $8.5 million a day in royalties.

How the weather will descend on southeast Queensland.

In the Whitsundays, tourists embraced the wild weather by surfing and kite boarding as airports reopened.

The rain also flushed out the odd north Queensland local, including two crocodiles seen walking on roads in Ingham.

Rainfall in the southeast over the next four days is expected to range from 100mm to 300mm.

Heaviest falls will be near the tropical low and under isolated storms, with the coast being battered by rough seas.

Brisbane's mean January rainfall is 159.6mm.

Townsville residents Alexander Colley, 10,
Jaaron Colley, 7, and Ryley Colley,
won't let a little flooding stop them
from enjoying their last few days
 of the school holiday.

The low's impact in parched inland areas will be much less than on the coastal strip.

The Mackay to Gladstone region was copping the brunt of it yesterday, with Samuel Hill north of Yeppoon recording 148mm in six hours. Rockhampton had 79mm, Carmila to the north 73mm and Gladstone to the south, 58mm in the same period.

The remains of Oswald should be just north of Rockhampton this morning.

The weather bureau expects the monsoon low to be between Gladstone and Bundaberg tomorrow.

Weatherzone forecaster Melissa MacKellar said there was a low possibility of the system reforming into a cyclone tomorrow.

A cruiser was washed onto rocks at Airlie Beach
 yesterday as the bad weather generated by
ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald set in. 

"It looks like Brisbane is going to be a bit wet but at least the risk of cyclone development in the tropical north will decrease for a while after this," she said.

Ingham Mayor Rodger Bow said most houses escaped inundation despite localised flooding.

"The heavy weather has backed off, the river is subsiding and the system has moved south. Now, we have to sit and wait for the water to go down," Cr Bow said.

Ex-Cyclone Oswald was heading southeast yesterday at 24km/h, with wind gusts of more than 125km/h.

www.CourierMail.com.au

25.1.13

SES delight with $2million Redbank Plains depot: Ready for next flood

READY FOR ACTION: SES Goodna group
 leader Howard Hancock with volunteers
 at the new SES Redbank Plains depot.

SES LEADERS have welcomed the new $2 million facility at Redbank Plains that represents the biggest investment in the service in Queensland history.

The facility, built by Ipswich City Council to replace the old Goodna SES Unit depot at Bellbird Park, features a floodlit car park with 64 spaces, a large shed for all the SES equipment and vehicles as well as a new main administration building housing a kitchen, meeting rooms, operation room and offices.

SES Goodna group leader Howard Hancock said the new facility was "state of the art and purpose built for what we need" to give the service more scope to cope with natural disasters.

"Our numbers have swelled and we now have a lot more room for training. It has tripled our area," he said.

"We can deploy more teams from here and service other areas if need be ... and we have got the room for other teams to come in and help."

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said he valued the work of the SES in the community and the new complex would "allow the group's members to continue to provide first-class assistance to the community".

"The city's SES members are at the forefront when any disaster strikes our community and we are extremely grateful for the work carried out by our local volunteers," he said.

"Their skills were especially tested during the January 2011 flood in Ipswich and they came through with flying colours, once again demonstrating the vital role they play in our community." Cr Pisasale encouraged Ipswich residents to join the SES and become one of the "orange brigade".

The chairwoman of the council infrastructure committee, Cr Cheryl Bromage, said the new facility would service the growing Goodna catchment including future developing areas such as Springfield and Ripley Valley.

"We are ensuring they have the necessary equipment and tools available to allow them to be ready, willing and able to support the local community whenever they are needed," she said.

"The SES depot is a vital part of the city's disaster preparedness ... and is well positioned to meet the needs of the Ipswich community well into the future."

Ipswich SES local controller Arie van den Ende was also over the moon about the new complex. "Everybody is envious of what we've got," he said.

www.QT.com.au

25.1.13

Flood victims to get at least 70% of compensation: Lawyers

Flood victims heard from class action lawyers
Maurice Blackburn at a public meeting
 held at the Ipswich Showgrounds.
Maurice Blackburn partner Rod
Hodgson talks to the crowd.

FLOOD victims will not lose a cent to law firms if the class action against the State Government is unsuccessful.

That is the guarantee of Maurice Blackburn principal Damian Scattini regarding the no win, no fee class action.

There have been many comments on the QT website about this issue and among them are those saying that people will miss out and the lawyers will be the ones to benefit.

But Mr Scattini said residents signing up for the class action would not be out of pocket.

The risk is being underwritten by litigation funders IMF Australia.

"If someone recovers say, $100,000 out of this, they will have to pay a percentage of it to IMF," Mr Scattini said.

"The worst-case scenario would be 30% to the IMF and they (the flood victims) keep the balance.

"But they don't pay anything if it is unsuccessful and don't pay anything as the case goes along.

"If the case loses, usually you would have to pay the other side's costs.

"But they won't have to because IMF will pay that for them. IMF is also paying all the experts."

www.QT.com.au

25.1.13

Engineers Australia demand more detail over flood litigation

Law firm Maurice Blackburn says a report
by US hydrologists claims Wivenhoe Dam
 operators were negligent in the 2011 flood crisis.

The engineers association has challenged lawyers preparing a class action over the 2011 Queensland floods to release more information.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn says a report by US hydrologists claims the operators of Wivenhoe Dam were negligent and caused unnecessary damage to thousands of homes in Brisbane and Ipswich.

This week the law firm announced the Queensland Government and Seqwater would soon be facing a billion-dollar lawsuit over the management of Wivenhoe Dam during the 2011 flood crisis.

But Engineers Australia Queensland president Simon Orton says the evidence is not clear and details of the report need to be made public.

"For example, how they calibrated the model, how they matched the model to record the flood data, the survey information on the ground and the riverbed levels on the flood plain - and certainly what dam operational rules or assumptions were applied to their model," he said.

"Essentially the lawyers have some made some allegations and we would like to see the community is served best by making that information become public."

Yesterday Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls said people claiming compensation for flood damage would be taking money from fellow taxpayers.

Mr Nicholls says while both Seqwater and the Government carry insurance for such matters, a large claim would affect the State's bottom line.

"Queenslanders should understand that any payout that the Government makes to anyone comes at a cost to the Government of Queensland," he said.

"I think it's very premature to say what will be the outcome when we haven't seen the claim.

"We haven't even seen the name of the engineers who have provided the report."

www.ABC.net au

23.1.13

COMMENT:  Engineers Australia is - as usual - continuing to act like buffoons over this whole issue.  They are challenging law firm Maurice Blackburn to release confidential information and reports in advance of the proposed legal challenge in the Queensland Supreme Court.  Why?  No doubt, so they can rip the reports apart in support of their engineering mates who are now under pressure as a result of what Maurice Blackburn have discovered about the operation of the Wivenhoe Dam in January 2011.  As if Maurice Blackburn would be that stupid.  The sooner Engineers Australia butts out of this emotion-charged legal debate and leaves it to the lawyers and the parties involved  to resolve the various issues, the better.  Meanwhile, Engineers Australia should be stocking up on huge quantities of humble pie because that it what they are likely to need before this whole matter goes away and disappears from the public arena once and for all.

"Flood maps as close to being accurate as we are going to get" - Sean Choat MP

A flooded McGill Street home in Basin Pocket.

IPSWICH West MP Sean Choat said his government would honour any court judgement on a class action on behalf of flood victims and has backed the flood maps released by Maurice Blackburn lawyers as the best that could be expected in the circumstances.

The class action against the State Government, to be launched by Maurice Blackburn, will aim to prove that the Wivenhoe Dam was not operated to a standard expected of a reasonably competent dam operator.

Mr Choat said areas he represents such as Fernvale and Lowood were devastated by the flood and that "if someone was at fault, then people are entitled to be compensated".

"If that is at a cost to government, then so be it," he said.

If someone was at fault, then people are entitled to be compensated. If that is at a cost to government, then so be it.

"I was involved quite heavily in the recovery. People in the next street were inundated and we took a family into our home. Obviously the government of the day is no longer there, but we are now responsible and we should not shy away from our responsibilities."

The flood maps released by Maurice Blackburn have been criticised in certain quarters.

Several people in the green section of the map, where there would have been no flooding had Wivenhoe Dam been operated correctly, have said they didn't flood.

"But from what I can see the maps we have are as close to being accurate as what we are going to get," Mr Choat said.

"The only way to go one better is to go from house to house. There are satellite photos they have been able to use that have been able to give a better assessment of what areas were affected than we had back 1974, when a lot of it was based on hearsay."

Maurice Blackburn principal Damian Scattini said the flood lines on the released maps were "the product of aerial mapping done by Ipswich City Council, Brisbane City Council, the Department of Environment and Resource Management and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority".

"Our experts have said what would have happened had the dam at Wivenhoe been operated correctly," he said.

"Some people have said that they didn't flood at all and they were in the green ... but that is entirely consistent with our experts' model that said they shouldn't have flooded. But it was the government and council maps that said they had flooding."

www.QT.com.au

24.1.13

COMMENT: Sean Choat, Member for Ipswich West has taken a sensible and appropriate stance on this issue.  Many of his constituents suffered enormously in the 2011 flood, so his support is very welcome to ensure that claimants in a class action by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers get their day in court, now that the State Government has said it will respect any legal decision to compensate flood victims.  Sean Choat has the interests of the the people of his electorate genuinely at heart and all flood victims will be thankful for his continuing efforts on their behalf and his statement of support today.

Fee cut entices insurers to join Brisbane River flood class action

Maurice Blackburn lawyers are preparing
 a class action over the 2011 disaster.

INSURANCE companies will be offered a better payout deal than householders in the planned flood class action in a bid to convince them to sign.

The company financing the action will waive some of its cut of any settlement as a carrot to attract insurance companies to join in and boost the scale of the claim.

Household flood victims who joined the class action would have to pay financing firm IMF 28 per cent of any payout, while insurers and developers would pay only 22 per cent.

John Walker, of IMF, said the floods had cost the industry "billions" and he was talking to "insurers, underwriters, brokers, reinsurers and agents" about coming on board.

"Their support is not essential or critical, but, if it was provided, the claim will proceed," he said.

Suncorp, which paid out on thousands of flood insurance claims, said it had been approached but would not join.

A spokeswoman said: "We don't intend to seek recovery of our losses. We have determined that we wouldn't join the class action."

A spokesman for RACQ, which had the second-largest exposure in 2011, said the insurer had not been approached.

IMF had collected about $1.2 billion for clients in the last 10 years and averaged a return on its investment of about 28 per cent, Mr Walker said.

He expected a lower rate of return on the flood claim because of its large size.

There was no target in terms of numbers of claimants but the total size of the claim would have to be at least in the "tens of millions" for it to make financial sense for his firm, which would risk upwards of $10 million on the suit.

Claimants would be sent questionnaires in the next couple of months to determine the size of their uninsured losses.

An expert on class actions in Australia said law firm Maurice Blackburn would not have initiated a case unless it thought it had an 80 per cent chance of success in the form of a large settlement.

Monash University Professor Vince Morabito said: "The fact that the Commission of Inquiry made findings that point fingers at certain people and entities is a prima facie arguable case."

Prof Morabito thought the odds of a settlement were about 50-50 once a judge agreed the case had class-action status.

Of the 15 class actions filed each year since 1993, the cases settled included payouts ranging from $2 million to $200 million.

The largest payouts were against securities companies on behalf of shareholders, rather than people injured by government negligence, he said.

The Courier-Mail revealed yesterday that Maurice Blackburn had released maps this week based partly on official data it knew was wrong, as part of efforts to recruit householders and business owners.

Property valuer Iain Herriott, who warned a year ago that there were 4500 "virtually unsaleable" flood-affected homes in Brisbane and Ipswich, said it would be "near impossible to quantify the actual and real loss incurred by every individual adversely affected by the 2011 floods".

Independent hydrologist Max Winders said the controversy highlighted the weaknesses of official maps, which were based on a limited number of monitoring sites and on estimates based on modelling.

"You just have to be careful in the way this information is extrapolated," he said.

"You'll see that council's information is of at least similar accuracy to that which has been determined by Maurice Blackburn."

www.CourierMail.com.au

24.1.13

UQ needs volunteers for Ipswich flood study

Corner of Creek and David streets, North Booval.

UNIVERSITY of Queensland researchers are looking to recruit participants from the Ipswich region to take part in a study exploring community resilience in the wake of the 2011 floods.

The ARC-funded study originated in North Booval and focuses on the role that neighbours can play to help one another in preparing for and recovering from disasters.

Associate Professor Lynda Cheshire from the School of Social Science said so far they had interviewed 17 participants in flood-affected streets.

"However, certain parts of the suburb had high numbers of rental properties and many tenants simply left and never came back, so we are calling for more participants - especially those who have not returned but who may still be living elsewhere in Ipswich," Assoc Prof Cheshire said.

If you are interested in participating call 0438 931 072 or email l.durnian@uq.edu.au

www.QT.com.au

23.1.13