How many devastating floods have happened in Australia?

Answer 1

Major floods in Australia's history include: * Gundagai floods (Murrumbidgee River), June 1852: 89 people were killed and the old town of Gundagai swept away * Brisbane floods, January 1974: 16 people died, 300 were injured, and 9,000 people left homeless. Total cost of the damage, in 1974 values, was $200 million. * Hunter Valley floods, February 1955: 25 people were killed

Answer 2

There have been numerous floods in Australia's history which have caused untold devastation to lives and property. Not all are mentioned below.

• On 25 June 1852, a torrent of water swept down the already flooded Murrumbidgee River, hitting the town of Gundagai and killing 89. There was a second, higher flood in 1853, and the town was relocated to its current site on the hill above the river.
• 44 people were killed in Tasmania in April 1929 as a result of heavy rain and flooding. Some of these deaths occurred when the Briseis Dam on the Cascade River collapsed, flooding the town of Derby.
• Heavy rain in the southeastern region of Australia in 1952. This particularly affected Victoria's Gippsland and southern coastal NSW.
• In February 1955, a monsoon depression intensified and moved south from Queensland, accompanied by torrential rainfall. About 15,000 people were evacuated from the NSW town of Maitland due to rising floodwaters from the Hunter River. 1600 were evacuated from nearby Singleton.

  The floods moved down the Macquarie River to Dubbo, causing the evacuation of another 4000, and as far west as Warren and Narromine. When the Namoi and Gwydir Rivers flooded, this devastated the towns of Moree and Narrabri. These floods killed 25.

• Western Queensland and northwest NSW were badly hit by floods in 1990, which especially hit the towns of Charleville and Nyngan. Six people died in these floods which also flooded 2000 homes.
• Queensland's southeast has seen several floods, with arguably the most devastating occurring in 1974 and 2011. Much of Queensland was affected in both these years, nad there was also severe floods in central Queensland in 2009.
• While Queensland was beginning to recover from the floods early in 2011, Victoria was hit by floodwaters, a combination of the waters moving downstream along the Darling River at the same time as the state received heavy rainfall. The rainfall system in Queensland also affected northern New South Wales.

Answer 3

In terms of loss of life, Australia's worst flood was the Gundagai flood of 1852. The town of Gundagai grew up around the best crossing point of the Murrumbidgee River for coaches and drovers and by 1852, there were around 300 people living along the river flats. Although it was known the area was prone to some flooding, people ignored all warnings and continued to build along the river flats.

Torrential rain fell in the Snowy Mountains for most of June 1852. In the early hours of 25 June 1852, a torrent swept down the Murrumbidgee valley. Houses collapsed and people were swept away. A punt sent out to rescue people capsized, its occupants thrown into the raging waters. Two Aborigines, Yarri and Jackey Jackey, heroically took their canoes out into the torrent to rescue people stranded in trees and the water. Although they rescued 49, another 89 were killed in the Gundagai flood.

In terms of damage, Australia's worst flood would be the one in December 2010-January 2011. Covering about 75% of the state of Queensland, this flood caused billions of dollars worth of damage and, to date, has resulted in 15 deaths. The capital city of Brisbane has been inundated, with about 20,000 residences going under water. The entire CBD of the city was shut down, with electricity turned off for safety. Businesses lost millions while out west and to the north, farmers also lost millions. The floods also extended into northern New South Wales.

Answer 4

In December 2010-January 2011, Queensland, Australiaexperienced widespread flooding. Beginning in Cairns in the far north, the floodwaters extended down to Rockhampton, completely swamping the city, also affecting Emerald to the west. Other centres affected included Bundaberg, Maryborough, St George, Mundubbera, Dalby, Theodore, Chinchilla, Gayndah, Condamine, Helidon, Grantham, Murphy's Creek, Gatton, Laidley, Toowoomba, Goondiwindi and Warwick, just to name a few.

From 11 January, major flooding began in the large city of Ipswich, and Brisbane the capital of Queensland. This flooding affected around 20,000 people in dozens of suburbs.

Answer 5

Australia is subject to major routine flooding. This is one of the ways El Nino presents itself in the country.