94 The Courier-Mail Friday, January 14, 2011 couriermail.com.au FRST

FLOOD CRISIS

22 NEWS

Centrelink☎ 180 22 66 Call or go to centrelink.gov.au for fi nancial assistance

Missing Persons☎ 1800 727 077

Road Closures☎ 13 19 40 Call or go to 131940.qld.gov.au

Register yourself or search for someone at redcross.org.au

Drinking water

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THE city council has advised that Brisbane’sdrinking water is not contaminated butresidents have been urged to preserve waterin case water treatment plants becomedamaged or power outages cut off parts ofthe water grid.Raw sewage has spilt into creeks, streams

and the Brisbane River after treatmentfacilities broke down upstream.Residents are urged not to go into

floodwaters unnecessarily.At Ipswich, residents also are encouraged

to conserve water.Should water become flood-affected it

should be boiled for at least five minutesbefore drinking.Refrigerated food that has been at room

temperature for more than two hours shouldbe thrown out.

PowerHUGE sections of the southeast are beingpulled from darkness as Energex hopes torestore power to most homes byMonday.About 90,000 homes were without power

last night , including stranded residents in thesuburbs of Moggill and Pullenvale.That number is expected to be reduced to

30,000 later today.Energex spokesmanDanny Donald said

there were issues for residents at BrookfieldandMoggill, where crews were battlingfloodwater to reach damaged infrastructure.Authorities have warned residents of

flood-affected homes to get a licensedelectrician to do a safety check of wiring andswitchboards before turning on the power.All electrical equipment that may have

come into contact with floodwaters shouldalso be checked by an electrician before use.

TransportCITY buses will run to a modified Sundaytimetable today, while Queensland Railservices will continue to operate hourly toand from the CBDwhere safe.More than 160 bus routes across Brisbane

will operate to a Sunday timetable but25 regular routes remain suspended,including: all 400 series (Brisbane’s westernsuburbs), 116 (Rocklea to Valley), 300(Toombul to Cultural Centre), 301 (Toombulto Cultural Centre), 196 (Fairfield Gardens toWickham St), 197 (Fairfield Gardens toMerthyr), 198 (Mollison St, West End, toMater Hospital), 199 (West End Ferry to NewFarm) and Cityglider (West End Ferry toNew Farm).Free suburban trains will run hourly on

most lines. Brisbane Airport services will behalf-hourly. CityCat services remain closed.

RoadsTRAFFIC lights remain shut down aroundflood-affected areas where power has beencut. Police advise drivers to use caution.The Brisbane CBD remains virtually shut

down, while the Riverside Expresswaywestbound has been reduced to one lane withall traffic being diverted at the Turbot St exit.Brisbane’s major bridges, including the GoBetween,William Jolly and Victoria bridges,remained closed last night.The Inner City Bypass is closed eastbound

at Lutwyche Rd and westbound on KingsfordSmith Drive at Nudgee Rd. The IpswichMotorway is open but is affected by floodingin some areas.Milton Rd, Coronation Drive and Granada

St at Rocklea and theWarrego Highwaybetween Brisbane and Toowoomba remainedclosed last night.

THE CLEAN-UP PROCESSMONEY WORRIESBANKSThe financial ombudsman and major banks are preparing hardship measures for those affected by flooding throughout Queensland.

They have urged residents concerned about their finances to contact their bank to discuss the support available.

Banks already have announced packages to help families, businesses and farmers. These include: deferring home loan repayments; restructuring business loans without incurring fees; and providing additional financial support or credit.

CASH ADVANCESPayments of up to $1000 an adult and $400 a child are available to people affected by flood.

Go to the Centrelink website at centrelink.gov.au and click on the assistance for flooding and severe weather link or call 180 22 66. To claim online, you will need to be registered as a Centrelink user.

RATESFlood victims will get an extra 30 days to pay their council rates. They also will get a $100 rebate on their water bills to provide financial relief during the flood crisis.

INSURANCEInsurance Council of Australia tips for policyholders:

Do not be concerned if insurance documents have been lost or damaged in the flood. Insurance companies keep records electronically and only require the policyholders name and address to locate a policy.

Be sure to contact your insurer before authorising repairs.

You can remove water and mud-damaged possessions. Carpets and soft furnishings also can be disposed of as you clean up. If possible take photographs or make an inventory of damaged possessions.

All claims received will be assessed case-by-case taking into account the nature of the damage and the terms of the policy.

Most Queenslanders are insured with Suncorp, RACQ, NRMA, Alliance and QBE. All provide different levels of cover.

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared Queensland flood zones a catastrophe area and said assessors from major companies were already on the ground assisting with claims for property and motor vehicle losses.

HEALTH ANDSAFETY ADVICE

Protect yourself from possible contaminants and bacteria in residue floodwaters by always wearing rubber gloves and water resistant clothing, including gumboots. You should also wear goggles or a face mask to protect your eyes from any splashing water and cover any open wounds before you start cleaning.

Ensure you maintain hygiene standards after any clean-up activities, such as showering well with antiseptic soaps as floodwaters are contaminated.

Council will be monitoring mosquito numbers and treating areas as required. Protect yourself with repellent and clothing. As floodwaters recede, empty any containers that are holding water.

FRESH FOODSDirectors of the flooded Brisbane Produce Market at Rocklea are working to set up a temporary distribution centre for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Wholesalers are organising for supplies to be trucked to Brisbane by the weekend and to get them into shops by Monday or Tuesday.

Most produce is being sourced from Northern Victoria and South Australia, which involves two days’ freight.

Wholesalers also are struggling to organise cold room facilities to store stock when it arrives.

Some major supermarket chains are relaxing specification standards to allow growers to supply produce with minor blemishes but they have warned shortages of some produce could be prolonged.

The National Baking Industry Association will today begin distributing a 20 tonne shipment of flour direct to bakers from its headquarters at Spring Hill, Brisbane, in a bid to ease the city’s bread shortage.

All three of southeast Queensland’s low-lying flour mills are out of action.

The association has been working with emergency services to get flour into flood-affected northern centres

VOLUNTEERSWho and what is needed:

Bobcats, tip-trucks, front-end loaders and water tankers and operators.

Electricians, carpenters, plumbers and other tradesman.

Unskilled but willing community members who want to lend a hand.

Owners of plant and equipment who can offer their services should email their contact details to lordmayor@brisbane.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3403 8888.

Residents wanting to lend a hand should contact Volunteering Queensland via its website at www.volunteeringqld.org.au or call centre on 1800 994 100.

DONATIONSYou can donate to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal:

Online at www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html.

By phone from 6am to 11pm, seven days, on 1800 219 028.

Via internet banking using the account: Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal, BSB 064 013, account number 1000 6800.

HELPFUL NUMBERSBCC Contact Centre (07) 3403 8888Department of Communities(07) 3274 9911Optus 13 13 44 Telstra 13 22 03

Brisbane City 1199

West End 868

St Lucia 1114

Rocklea 634

Graceville 614

Chelmer 584

Oxley 486

Fairfield 477

Toowong 476

South Brisbane 300

Yeronga 417

New Farm 364

Sherwood 315

Milton 138

Jindalee 305

Tennyson 292

Auchenflower 280

Sinnamon Park 218

Taringa 235

Archerfield 106

Windsor 189

Westlake 216

Fig Tree Pocket 196

Indooroopilly 177

Newstead 5

Sumner 19

Bulimba 149

Corinda 167

Coopers Plains 25

Albion 32

Paddington 124

Kenmore 112

Norman Park 95

East Brisbane 82

Coorparoo 61

Bellbowrie 77

Riverhills 78

Yeerongpilly 31

Woolloongabba 47

Seventeen Mile Rocks 19

Hawthorne 60

Darra 56

Bowen Hills 2

Moorooka 29

Middle Park 37

Pinkenba 22

Moggill 4

Balmoral 25

Kangaroo Point 2

Mount Ommaney 23

Highgate Hill 16

Willawong 7

Hamilton 13

Anstead 4

Jamboree Heights 12

Salisbury 8

Chapel Hill 3

Herston 2

Hemmant 4

Brookfield 1

Pinjarra Hills 1

Durack 2

Pullenvale 1

Wilston 1

SUBURB BY SUBURB – THE HOMES FLOODED

couriermail.com.au Friday, January 14, 2011 The Courier-Mail 95FRST

FLOOD CRISIS

NEWS 23

Energex☎ 131 962 To report emergencies

State Emergency Service☎ 132 500For fl ood and storm emergencies

Storage☎ 1800 786 724Storage King has offered a month of free storage to fl ood victims

What’s ahead

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MORE fine weather is forecast for flood-shattered southeast Queensland but thereare concerns a low that has hovered in theCoral Sea off Cape York Peninsula coulddevelop into a category 1 cyclone today ortomorrow. Forecasters believe there is littlechance of it approaching the southwest,although it is expected to hasten efforts tounload floodwaters from Brisbane’sWivenhoe and Somerset dams.Last night the low was 500km northeast of

Cooktown and not considered a threat to thecoast. Cyclone Vania, a larger category 2storm, has developed between Vanuatu andNew Caledonia but also is not expected toaffect the coast at this stage.It should be a relatively fine weekend in

the southeast, although rain could develop inthe southern interior on Sunday.

Dams drop slowlyBRISBANE’S dams are dropping at a snail’space as inflows continue andmajor releasesare being held back to allow floods to recede.Wivenhoe Dam’s flood compartment is at

about 85 per cent, with releases of228,000ML a day.It is receding slowly, in part because

121,000ML a day is being released into it fromSomerset Dam upstream. Somerset’s floodstorage is at 67 per cent.SEQWater Grid managers plan to push

Wivenhoe releases past 300,000ML as soonas possible in order to unload floodwatersshould more rain fall.Weather Bureau hydrologist Jimmy

Stewart said about 10,000 cubic metres ofwater a second was tearing down cityreaches.

Brian Williams

Keep awayLARGE amounts of debris are making theBrisbane River dangerous, promptingauthorities to warn people keep clear.State Emergency ServicesMinister Neil

Roberts said the volume of debris going intoMoreton Bay was a significant problem andthe river was very unsafe.‘‘There’s a lot of large objects moving down

the river,’’ he said. ‘‘Again we can only stressthe unsafe nature of being close to that or inthat environment.’’Mr Roberts said nothing could be done

until the floodwaters receded.‘‘It’s simply impossible to prevent that from

occurring while this extremely large volumeof water is flowing down the Brisbane River,’’he said. ‘‘That will be a significant problemwhich port authorities andMaritime SafetyQueensland will need to address.’’

Services returnPOST and communications continue to bedisrupted, although services are graduallyreturning to flood-affected areas.Loss of power and lack of access continue

to be the biggest problem fortelecommunication companies working torestore networks. All major telcos are usingback-up generators to power mobile basestations.Optus was set to have most of its mobile

coverage restored by today but said theBrisbane CBD still had problems with a lackof access. Telstra said service would berestored to customers within days but itwould take up to three months to repairall infrastructure.Australia Post will deliver to areas if

accessible. Yesterday, there were deliveries to70 per cent of Brisbane households.

FIVE DEGREES OF SEPARATIONBrisbane will be divided into five sectors to aide the clean-up effort — a north, south, east, west and central sector.Each sector will have a local manager who will be responsible for co-ordinating the local relief effort and the volunteers and essential service personnel deployed there.

THE CLEAN-UP WILL BE IN THREEPHASES1st: Clearing and reopening major arterial roads2nd: Clearing silt and debris from local roads3rd: Getting people back into homes and starting the clean-up process

WHAT TO DOWITH RUBBISH

More than 150 skips will be distributed across Brisbane’s suburbs for perishables including rotting food and scraps. Place in a plastic bag and dispose of in these skips.

Place all other household rubbish on the kerb but off the road.

Check furniture for precious items such as jewellery boxes before discarding.

Volunteer trucks and garbage trucks will be deployed to collect the rubbish and take it to the dump.

If necessary some local parks will be used as temporary dumps.

Moorooka

Ashgrove

Coorparoo

Murarrie

NathanWishart

Belmont

Tingalpa

Keperra

The Gap

Mount Coot-tha

KenmorePullenvale

Anstead

Kedron

Bridgeman Downs

Bald Hills

Brighton

Sandgate

Aspley

Boondall

Eagle Farm

Rocklea

Darra

InalaWillawong

Pallara

Runcorn

Karawatha

Wacol

Ascot

Burbank

Rochedale

Brookfield

Enoggera Reservoir

Upper Brookfield

Lake Manchester

Kholo

Pinkenba

New Farm

St Lucia

Moggill

Ellen Grove

Parkinson

Banks Creek

Chuwar

THE FIVE REGIONS