Miraculous survival amid floods tragedy

As Brisbane started to go under water, authorities hailed the miraculous survival of
two people who had been swept away in Queensland's raging floodwaters and all but
given up for lost.
Twelve people have now died in the state's worst natural disaster, with grave fears
held for nine of the 51 people still missing in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.
But two people earlier feared dead after being swept away in Lockyer Valley
floodwaters were found alive in what Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson
described as "the most miraculous of circumstances".
"Both of those people were literally swept away by floodwater," Mr Atkinson said.
"There was every reason to believe that they may have lost their lives."
The two had disappeared after being swept away in separate incidents in floodwaters
in the Lockyer Valley but news came late on Wednesday that they had survived.
"I can only describe it as a miracle," Mr Atkinson said.
Queensland's Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said authorities now held
grave fears for nine people but the total number of missing had been revised down to
51.
"So thankfully people are being found and identified as being okay - which is good
news."
Authorities had previously held grave fears for 18 people with 90 thought to be
missing.
The death toll rose to 12 on Wednesday amid warnings it was almost certain to rise
further.
The bodies of two men were discovered in the Lockyer Valley on Wednesday afternoon,
one at a home at Grantham and another in a creek at Lyons Bridge.
"It's tragic news that we've had another two deaths ... I don't believe that's the
end of that kind of news," Premier Anna Bligh told reporters.
Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said recovery teams were searching buildings
"completely destroyed" by floodwaters, and combing trees, creeks and cars for
bodies.
"Our hope is that we actually might find some survivors, but the chances of that are
quite remote," he said.
Brisbane resembled a ghost town as residents evacuated and workers stayed home with
power cut to many parts of the CBD ahead of the Brisbane River peaking at 4am (AEST)
on Thursday.
A total of 19,700 homes and 3,500 businesses are expected to be flooded and at least
50 suburbs affected.
Floodwaters are already affecting 35 Brisbane suburbs, Ipswich's CBD has been
swamped, with both cities expected to experience flood levels at or beyond what was
seen during the catastrophic 1974 floods.
But Ms Bligh warned the damage was likely to be worse, given the two cities are now
so much larger and more densely populated.
"I think we've still got our hardest times ahead of us," Ms Bligh told reporters in
Brisbane.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who visited evacuees at Brisbane's RNA Showgrounds,
said more defence force personnel and aircraft were being sent in to respond to
Queensland's flood crisis.
"Queensland has already faced some dark days and there are dark days still ahead.
But Australia is standing with you ...," she said.
About 127,000 people in southeast Queensland are without power and it's unlikely
many will be reconnected before the weekend.
Across the state, 3,585 people have been forced to take shelter in 57 evacuation
centres, including 1,100 in Ipswich and 400 in Brisbane.
At Ipswich, the Bremer River broke its banks and sent water surging though the CBD,
flooding some businesses up to ceiling level.
But the river appeared to have peaked under 20 metres late on Wednesday afternoon,
slightly below predictions.
The southern regional centres of Dalby and Chinchilla, to Brisbane's west, are again
in the grip of floodwaters, less than two weeks after homes and businesses were
inundated in both communities.
And the township of Condamine has been evacuated for a second time as more floods
hit there.
Mr Atkinson said the state's floods crisis was still evolving.
"It's a very dynamic environment at the moment - these things are unfolding not just
hour by hour but minute by minute."



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