Floods Force Evacuations on Outskirts of Brisbane

The dam protecting Australia’s third-largest city is full, forcing authorities to unleash floods that will head towards its suburbs.

Rain continues to pound Queensland, sending surging floodwaters through the region west of Brisbane and killing eight people overnight. Authorities urged thousands of residents to evacuate, as the flood is rapidly heading east and already water is lapping at the foot of riverbank buildings in downtown Brisbane. In Toowoomba, just west of the city, rescue workers pulled 40 people from rooftops but 66 are still missing. The Queensland flooding is the worst since the deadly 1974 deluge, and has at times covered an area larger than Germany and France combined. Authorities predict that in some areas rivers will swell to 19 metres in height. At least 13 people are believed to have died since the floods began last November.