The Brisbane River has broken its banks with evacuations underway in the heart of the city amid fears Brisbane will see its worst flooding since the 1974 disaster.
Ferry services have been shut down and rising flood waters have cut train services north and west of the city. Some bus services to the north of Brisbane have also been cancelled.
Police said roads were clogged with motorists trying to get home and city car parks have opened their boom gates, telling people to get their cars out.
Office towers on Eagle Street, right on the river, are being emptied, along with businesses in Fortitude Valley.
Floodwaters are creeping into the inner-city suburb of West End, where residents have been told to get to higher ground.
Evacuations are also underway on Brisbane's northside at Albion and Bowen Hills.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman is currently briefing the media.
It's feared Brisbane could be about to experience its worst flood since the catastrophic 1974 event, when at least 6700 homes were partially or totally flooded in the Brisbane metropolitan area.
The Wivenhoe Dam was subsequently built to the protect the city. Inflows into the dam are so vast that authorities have no choice but to continue with controlled releases, exacerbating flooding problems downstream.
Full Story @ http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2011/01/11/Unstoppable_tide_hits_Brisbane_563199.html
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