Volunteer army helps with Qld clean-up

A gumboot-clad army of volunteers has begun the massive task of cleaning up
Queensland's flood-ravaged cities and towns, amid warnings that the state will still
be recovering in two years' time.
Three-quarters of the state has been affected by floods in the past three weeks,
with large parts remaining under water and other areas still on alert for flooding.
The water has receded in some places, including in Brisbane, replaced by a thick,
putrid sludge.
It would take years for Queensland to recover from its worst natural disaster,
federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said.
In the past few weeks, billions of dollars of damage has been wreaked upon
infrastructure, major industries such as mining, as well as homes and businesses
across 75 per cent of Queensland.
"What we have to do in the days, weeks and years ahead is commit ourselves to doing
everything we possibly can to help those people and to help those communities," Mr
Swan told Sky News on Saturday.
"(It) is going to take a long time for us to work through all of the issues that
flow from this experience.
"This isn't going to stop in a week or a month, or two weeks, or two months or, for
that matter, two years."
The death toll from this week's floods remains at 16 although 28 people are still
missing in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, where many of the
region's small towns were devastated when a wall of water rushed through on Monday.
Grave concerns remain for 12 people, including 11 from two families at Murphys Creek.
Police and army personnel have finished their sweep of the waterways between Murphys
Creek and Grantham, the epicentre of this week's flood disaster.
The search will now focus downstream of Grantham, Queensland disaster coordinator
and deputy police commissioner Ian Stewart said.
Mr Stewart said Brisbane Water Police were also searching the Brisbane River between
the mouth near the Port of Brisbane and Lowood, northwest of Ipswich.
"We are determined that we will conduct an absolutely rigorous and thorough search
of all the waterways and areas that have been touched by this absolutely
extraordinary event," he said.
The biggest defence deployment for a natural disaster since Cyclone Tracy has been
sent into Queensland, where the 1200 defence personnel have been joined by more than
50,000 volunteers across the state.
That's in addition to the family, friends and neighbours who are helping people with
the heartbreaking task of throwing ruined possessions out into the street and
clearing murky water and mud from homes.
On Saturday, a 7000-strong army of volunteers was dispatched to flood-stricken areas
of Brisbane.
The volunteers, armed with shovels, mops and brooms, turned up to four registration
centres set up by the Brisbane City Council before being transported by bus to where
they were most needed.
The response was so overwhelming that by early Saturday afternoon the council
advised that the volunteer centre registrations were full for the day.
West of Brisbane, the primary evacuation centre at the Ipswich Showgrounds ran out
of room after being inundated with donated materials.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard praised the "tremendous Aussie spirit" being shown by
the volunteers.
"Right across Queensland today people have got up, they've marched out of their
homes and they've gone to find people to help," Ms Gillard told reporters at Grafton
in NSW.
"The scale of the volunteering is taking people's breath away that literally
everyone is trying to find someone to help, selflessly going and helping a
neighbour."
President Barack Obama called Ms Gillard offering condolences for the deaths and
damage caused by flooding, which is now affecting five states including Victoria and
NSW.
The American leader "expressed sympathy for those who have died, suffered injuries,
lost their homes or businesses or been displaced by the devastating floods that have
struck Australia in recent weeks," the White House said.
Ms Gillard said she and Mr Obama discussed how the US could help in the recovery phase.
"We know that a lot is going to have to be done to bring roads back into functioning
order, railways lines back into functioning order, and we will be talking to our
American friends about that kind of assistance," she said.
Many of Queensland's regional centres are still recovering after being hit by
flooding in recent weeks, while some towns remain isolated.
Condamine in southern Queensland is a ghost town after being evacuated for a second
time.
The town is now waiting for an expected river peak of 14.8 metres late on Sunday or
early Monday, below the 15.25m level of early this month.
Visiting Rockhampton in central Queensland, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said
recovery efforts were still underway in many regional areas.
"I think as people see the extraordinary events in Brisbane and the southeast
corner, I don't want anyone to forget that out here in regional Queensland there are
still many people getting over and recovering from the floods," Ms Bligh said.
In London, Prince Charles described the flooding as "almost impossible to imagine".
He and the Queen made donations to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.



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