From the Archives, 2011: Brisbane flood catastrophe averted

This was a catastrophe on a good day. The water hadn’t risen as high as predicted; the death count was not as appalling as feared. To everyone’s relief the police found no corpses in the tangled mess on the bridge at Grantham. Still the death toll rose by three to 15 and there will be more.

Suburbs were filled with water. Apartment blocks stood in a brown sea. The markets were swamped. The CBD was an archipelago. Everyone was waiting for the water to go down. Only then will the worst of the damage be known. But the warning signs are clear enough: as the water retreats it’s leaving behind a rank mat of rubbish and mud.

“This is not a tourist attraction,” said Queensland’s Minister for Main Roads, Craig Wallace. “It’s a tragedy. If you are…