Me, reporting live from the Brisbane floods for the BBC World Service’s World Update programme last Thursday.
Aired midday GMT, 14th January 2011.
Water quality concerns plague Queensland, Australian Geographic // 16 January 2011
AN UNPRECEDENTED 7.5 MILLION tonnes of water is estimated to have fallen onto southeast Queensland in this week’s super storm, stretching infrastructure to the absolute limit.
From the microscopic (Ecoli in Warra) to the bizarre (sharks in Goodna), floodwater contains a potentially dangerous cocktail of unusual contaminants and foreign bodies – and it is not just humans who are at risk.
Australian wildlife hit hard by floods, Australian Geographic // 14 January 2011
AS FLOODS WREAK HAVOC across two thirds of Queensland, a mixed picture is building up of damage not only to property and infrastructure but to communities of animals too.
Flash flooding following Monday’s super rainstorm – described as a “one-in-100-year event” by the Bureau of Meteorology – has so far claimed 15 lives and has left 55 people unaccounted across southeast Queensland.
As the State reels – and continues to brace itself for further flooding – the effect on wildlife is only just coming into focus. Severe weather conditions over the past two to three weeks have seen a growing number of animal rescue efforts underway.
Updates over on ES // 13 January 2011
To see my latest columns from Brisbane’s really quite well-organised and relaxed disaster zone, please head over to my Evening Standard page.
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