Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says Queensland is facing its darkest hour of the past fortnight after floodwaters and rain today unleashed what she described as “a freak of nature”.
Bligh confirmed that 4 people have died in Toowoomba. Television pictures tonight have shown amazing pictures of flash floods in the CBD of Toowoomba.
Bligh said 30 people are isolated in the small town of Grantham, 100 kilometres west of Brisbane. Six others are isolated in a private residence and the Premier said grave fears are held for the safety of others.
Police described today’s event as an “inland instant tsunami, with a massive wall of water that has gone straight down through the Lockyer Valley”. The ABC’s Paul Lockyer described a wall of water that came and went in seconds.
Bligh said 43 helicopter rescues have taken place tonight but rain and fog are hampering operations.
Police say modelling due in the next few hours will tell them what to expect as the waters reach Ipswich and Brisbane.
- Listen to Bligh’s press conference. This is a rare look at a Premier under maximum pressure (14m)
