 |
| Perrin Park, Toowoong, Queensland Photo by Sunita Esther Palavadivelu |
By Nancy Hsu
Reporter
Youth Journalism International
BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia – As the Brisbane River continues to rise, the city is awaiting its crest, and expects the water to remain high for many hours afterward, flooding more streets and homes.
 |
| End of Burns Road, Perrin Park Toowoong, Queensland Photo by Sunita Esther Palavadivelu |
“We are expecting to see the peak of the Brisbane River at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning,” said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on Wednesday, “so we do expect that many people will find water coming into their streets tonight.”
 |
| Queensland Premier Anna Bligh appears on breaking television news broadcast in shopping centers Photo by Nancy Hsu |
The flooding has claimed at least a dozen lives, Bligh said, and more people are still missing. Many homes are under water and thousands of residents have been forced to find shelter elsewhere.
“We have just over 4,000 people who are in evacuation centers but that number is rising,” said Bligh. She said Wednesday there are more than 40 people unaccounted for, which was a decrease in the number of missing.
Minister of Emergency Services Neil Roberts said one of the significant issues with this flood peak is its duration.
It is “expected to remain high for 12 to 18 hours,” Roberts said, “so this will be considerable impact on those communities right across Brisbane. Right across Brisbane, we will continue to see significant road cuts.”
 |
| Flooded Queensland street Photo by Sunita Esther Palavadivelu |
 |
| Water closed this Queensland road Photo by Sunita Esther Palavadivelu |
 |
| The flooding closed many Queensland shops Photo by Nancy Hsu |
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman tallied road blockages and closures in a midday press conference Wednesday.
“There are many flooded roads across the city of Brisbane,” said Newman.
Newman said 106 streets are closed and he anticipates another 1,657 will be partially or completely flooded.
Please check back to www.yjiblog.org for more from reporter Nancy Hsu in Brisbane.
