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What changes occurred after the Brisbane floods in January 1974?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Brisbane's floods of 1974 were the result of an unusual situation. Whilst the depression which dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain as a result of Cyclone Wanda was unprecedented, it was made more catastrophic by the fact that it had already been a very wet year thourghout the eastern states beforehand. The ground was waterlogged, and simply could not absorb any more water.
The floods were made worse by the fact that a huge container ship broke loose from the shipyards, and wedged itself across the Brisbane River just before the mouth. This prevented the escape of the water to the sea, exacerbating the floods in the CBD.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago* Emergency management and evacuation procedures were improved * One of the reasons the floodwaters could not escape was because a large cargo ship broke loose from the ship-building yards near the Brisbane River's mouth and wedged itself across the river, preventing the escape of the water: thus, shipbuilding operations were moved further upstream * Wivenhoe Dam was built to contain water from the Brisbane River catchment
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoIn early 2011, Australia (Brisbane included) had been coming out of an El Niño weather pattern for some time, which means that many parts of the region had seen gradually increasing rainfall. The opposing weather pattern, La Nina was setting in. The rainfall recorded in September 2010 made it Australia's wettest month overall in 110 years.
Rain continued to fall heavily throughout early January. On 10 January 2011, Toowoomba, a city which sits at an elevation of 700m at the top of the Great Dividing Range, received 150 mm of rain within a 40 minute period. The ground could not hold any more water, and the waters from the escarpment at the top of the range rushed in a torrent towards the city. Stormwater drains and creeks coming through the two natural valleys in the city were already overflowing, unable to cope with the sudden torrent of rain. The water from the escarpment at the top of the range then rushed down the mountainside, creating a wall of water, a 7m high inland "tsunami", that went down the range. This wall of water rushed through Lockyer Valley to the catchment areas of the main dam that protects the city of Brisbane from flooding, sending its capacity to 190%. The gates had to be opened, sending the equivalent of two Sydney Harbour's worth of water into the Brisbane River each day. This is why Brisbane and Ipswich flooded.
Subsequent inquiries have pointed the finger at senior engineers acting too late to release water from Wivenhoe. Had the water begun to be released earlier, it is believed the floods in Brisbane would not have been so bad.
It should be noted that the excessive rainfall had also caused the ranges to the west of Brisbane and Ipswich to collect an unusually large amount of water, leading to higher water levels in the Bremer River, a tributary of the Brisbane River. This compounded the problem of the Brisbane River flood levels.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe heavy rains that produced this flood were associated with the weakening cyclone 'Wanda' that precipitated 5 days of heavy rain on top of an already saturated river catchment.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoIn the 1974 Brisbane floods, the total damage in Brisbane and surrounding areas came to over 800 million Australian dollars in 1974 values.
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Was Browns Plains affected by the floods in Brisbane 1974?
Browns Plains was not one of the areas affected in the 1974 Brisbane floods.
Why did the floods hit Brisbane and not the Gold Coast?
It's a matter of where the Brisbane River flows. The Brisbane floods were largely a result of the massive amounts of water that had to be released from Wivenhoe Dam into the Brisbane River. The Brisbane River does not flow anywhere near the Gold Coast, but empties into the sea at Moreton Bay.
How many people died in the 1974 Brisbane floods?
If this is a reference to the January 2011 floods in eastern Australia, the death toll stands at 22, as of January 31.During Australia's history of European settlement, hundreds of people have died in Australia because of floods, but the figures have not been anywhere as high as in some parts of the world.
Was Sydney Australia affected by the tsunami that hit Brisbane Australia?
There was no Tsunami that hit Brisbane, and therefore no Tsunami hit Sydney. However there were recent floods that devastated Brisbane and the QLD state of Australia.
Was Mitchelton a suburb located at north west of Brisbane affected in 1974 floods?
Any part of Mitchelton along Kedron Brook was affected in the 1974 floods. Higher ground was safe.
What month was the 2010 Brisbane floods?
The Brisbane floods actually occurred in January 2011, not 2010.
How long did the Brisbane floods last?
The Brisbane floods occurred from 11-17 January 2011, lasting for around a week. The peak of the flooding happened on 13 January 2011.
Was Brisbane affected by the recent floods in Australia?
Yes. An estimated 52 suburbs were affected by the floods in Brisbane in January 2011.
Will the flash flood hit Springfield?
Springfield, west of Brisbane, will not be affected by the floods that are coming to Brisbane in January 2011.
When did the Victorian floods occur?
it occurred in January 2011
When did the Brisbane floods end?
The floods in Brisbane had abated by 17 January 2011, leaving only a massive cleanup which continued for months. However, parts of the rest of Queensland remained underwater for many weeks.
What river ways did the Brisbane floods affect?
The Brisbane floods of 1974 affected the Brisbane River and the Bremer River basin.
Where was the Brisbane floods?
Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, and located in southeast Queensland. The floods affected suburbs along the Brisbane River, and much of Ipswich.
What year did the floods hit Brisbane?
Four major floods have occurred in Brisbane.The first was on 14 January 1841. This was the biggest flood of the Brisbane River since records began with the river being approximately 8.6 metres above the high tide mark. There was limited destruction to property as the town was still very young and undeveloped.The next major flood began on 5 February 1893. These floods came within 7cm of the 1841 levels.The worst floods in terms of death and loss of property occurred in January 1974 when tropical Cyclone Wanda developed into a rain depression that dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain on an already saturated southeast Queensland. This flood reached a height of 5.5 m. Since the construction of Wivenhoe Dam on the Brisbane River within a few years of this flood, Brisbane was believed to be flood-proof.The most recent major floods to hit Brisbane occurred on 11 January 2011. On this date, the Brisbane River again broke its banks. The flood was the result of a La Nina weather pattern, together with the state being saturated by the rainfall resulting from a cyclone system that hit in the north on Christmas Day 2010. Wivenhoe Dam, which was designed to prevent any further floods, exceeded 160% capacity, requiring the release of a massive amount of water, comparable to the volume of Sydney harbour.
What is the history of Brisbane's floods?
Four major floods have occurred in Brisbane.The first was on 14 January 1841. This was the biggest flood of the Brisbane River since records began with the river being approximately 8.6 metres above the high tide mark. There was limited destruction to property as the town was still very young and undeveloped.The next major flood began on 5 February 1893. These floods came within 7cm of the 1841 levels.The worst floods in terms of death and loss of property occurred in January 1974 when tropical Cyclone Wanda developed into a rain depression that dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain on an already saturated southeast Queensland. This flood reached a height of 5.5 m. Since the construction of Wivenhoe Dam on the Brisbane River within a few years of this flood, Brisbane was believed to be flood-proof.The most recent major floods to hit Brisbane occurred on 11 January 2011. On this date, the Brisbane River again broke its banks. The flood was the result of a La Nina weather pattern, together with the state being saturated by the rainfall resulting from a cyclone system that hit in the north on Christmas Day 2010. Wivenhoe Dam, which was designed to prevent any further floods, exceeded 160% capacity, requiring the release of a massive amount of water, comparable to the volume of Sydney harbour.
When did the Brisbane floods occur?
Four major floods have occurred in Brisbane.The first was on 14 January 1841. This was the biggest flood of the Brisbane River since records began with the river being approximately 8.6 metres above the high tide mark. There was limited destruction to property as the town was still very young and undeveloped.The next major flood began on 5 February 1893. These floods came within 7cm of the 1841 levels.The worst floods in terms of death and loss of property occurred in January 1974 when tropical Cyclone Wanda developed into a rain depression that dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain on an already saturated southeast Queensland. This flood reached a height of 5.5 m. Since the construction of Wivenhoe Dam on the Brisbane River within a few years of this flood, Brisbane was believed to be flood-proof.The most recent floods occurred inBbrisbane on 11 January 2011,when the Brisbane River again broke its banks. The flood was the result of a La Nina weather pattern, together with the state being saturated by the rainfall resulting from a cyclone system that hit in the north on Christmas Day 2010.Wivenhoe Dam, which was designed to prevent any further floods, exceeded 160% capacity, requiring the release of a massive amount of water, comparable to the volume of Sydney harbour.
How many floods have occurred in Brisbane?
Four major floods have occurred in Brisbane.The first was on 14 January 1841. To date, these floods have been the worst, high-level wise, although there was less destruction to property as the town was still very young and undeveloped. Flood levels were reported to be over 8 metres above the mean sea level.The next major flood began on 5 February 1893. These floods came within 7cm of the 1841 levels.The worst floods in terms of death and loss of property occurred in January 1974 when tropical Cyclone Wanda developed into a rain depression that dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain on an already saturated southeast Queensland. Since the construction of Wivenhoe Dam on the Brisbane River within a few years of this flood, Brisbane was believed to be flood-proof.This changed when, on 11 January 2011, the Brisbane River again broke its banks. The flood was the result of a La Ninaweather pattern, together with the state being saturated by the rainfall resulting from a cyclone system that hit in the north on Christmas Day 2010.Wivenhoe Dam, which was designed to prevent any further floods, exceeded 160% capacity, requiring the release of a massive amount of water, comparable to the volume of Sydney harbour.
