mardi 11 janvier 2011

Encore des inondations - still more floods

Des semaines de pluies violentes ont gonflé les cours des rivières dans le Queensland un peu au nord, souvent à des niveaux historiques, inondant une région aussi grande que la France et l'Allemagne réunies. La pluie continue, et hier Toowoomba, à l’ouest de Brisbane a souffert un ‘tsunami d’intérieure’ avec un mur d’eau de 2 mètres. Evidemment, plusieurs personnes mortes, et beaucoup disparues pour le moment.

A Brisbane, ils attendent aussi des inondations – le barrage qui donne de l’eau à la ville est normalement à 60% de capacité – aujourd’hui à 150%, donc il faut ouvrir le barrage, ce qui ajoute encore de l’eau. Et avec la marrée haute qui arrive…

On est un peu au sud, à Alstonville, près de Ballina ici, au bas de la carte. Ici il parlent des rivières qui vont déborder, mais pas du tout comme au Queensland. Mais il y a des routes fermees - normalement on part dimanche matin. Qui sait?


Toowoomba: Photo du Journal de Brisbane: Brisbane newspaper photo of Toowoomba

Weeks of rain here have covered an area the size of France and Germany combined with water. A few days ago someone in Rockhampton, one of the worst affected areas, said that the amount of water passing by each day was the equivalent of twice the amount in Sydney Harbour. Don’t know how much that is, but obviously a lot.

And then yesterday what they call an ‘interior tsunami’ hit Toowoomba, with a wall of water 2 metres high – now 8 confirmed dead, and at least 45 missing.

In Brisbane they are awaiting floods, and the dam that provides drinking water for the city has gone from ‘normal’ level of 60% capacity, to 150%. And high tide is this afternoon…

We are somewhat south of all this, at Alstonville, near Ballina here, where we are getting tired of watching the rain fall, but so far we are fine. There are predictions of rivers overflowing, but nothing like in Queensland. But roads are closed, and we are hoping that we will be able to leave on Sunday.

1 commentaire:

Krys and Paul a dit…

How strange to be there at this time - do be careful - is that your photo?!!