Emerald flood crisis dire as army moves in

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says there is a flood crisis in Emerald with the army
evacuating people and building makeshift emergency accommodation outside the town.
The Nogoa River is at 16 metres and rising and more than 1200 residents have
registered as evacuees, with more than 500 put up in evacuation centres.
Ms Bligh says more evacuations are expected.
"Authorities think there will be a very large group of people who will be homeless
in the next 24 hours," she told reporters who went with her on a flood tour on
Friday.
The defence force has been called in to set up emergency accommodation outside
Emerald, and two Black Hawk helicopters are flying locals out and making food drops
to isolated communities around the town.
Ms Bligh and Prime Minister Julia Gillard planned to visit the town on Friday but
the emergency evacuations and a shortage of aviation fuel forced a change of plan.
Instead the premier's plane flew over the town.
The dirty tide has spared little, with Emerald now an island in an inland sea.
Water is lapping at the windows of scores of homes and nearby cane and citrus farms
are submerged.
The Fairbairn Dam is holding back an immense body of water - it's now at 175 per
cent capacity with 5.6 metres of water pouring over the spillway, well beyond the
4.4 metres recorded during the 2008 flood.
Central Highlands Mayor Peter Maguire said authorities were still trying to
determine how many homes and businesses had been flooded.
"It's not an easy task," he said. "We haven't got a real feel for how many homes
have been evacuated."
Mr Maguire said the flood should peak some time on Friday afternoon and efforts were
underway to resupply the town and outlying communities.
Earlier, Red Cross Queensland executive director Greg Goebel said floodwater had
swamped up to 80 per cent of the town.
Before flying over Emerald, Ms Bligh and the prime minister visited flood-ravaged
Bundaberg.
They walked along the edge of the receding Burnett River. Behind them a row of
cottages had water up to their window sills.
One of the homes is owned by Cheryl McDowel who, after 20 years, paid off her
mortgage just two weeks ago.
Insurance companies had refused to insure any of the homes, or others in the
postcode bordering the river, but her spirits were up despite the disaster.
"As long as we've got our lives," Ms McDowel told reporters.
Her 72-year-old neighbour is in hospital in Brisbane undergoing surgery and is yet
to be told of the devastation.
Ms Bligh said she was pleased the Burnett River was starting to recede.
But she said it would be some time before Queensland could enter full recovery mode
after the state's worst floods in recorded history.