The Impact of the 2011 Summer Floods in Brisbane Case Study

The Impact of the 2011 Summer Floods in Brisbane - Case Study Example There were two major floods recorded in Brisbane, Queensland in 2011. One included a series of floods which occurred on 10th January in the Lockyer Valley and the city of Toowoomba. This was followed by a devastating flood occurred in the city of Brisbane on 13th January 2011. The Brisbane flood of 2011 was the second biggest flood in the city in the 20th century. The Brisbane Flood was one of the series of floods that occurred in Queensland from 2010-2011. The Brisbane River Catchment area has been a sensitive area with respect to floods (Crompton, McAneney, Chen, Pielke and Haynes, 2010). In the 2011 Brisbane flood, major flooding was noted in most parts of the Brisbane River Catchment, especially in major tributaries of Brisbane River like Bremer River and Lockyer Creek. The flood led to the loss of one life in Brisbane and more than 23 lives in the valley of Lockyer. It was estimated that 18000 properties were submerged by the immensely high flood heights in metropolitan Brisbane and many parts of the Brisbane River Valley. All the houses in the floodplain area were highly damaged with some being completely washed away by the flood. The recorded height of the flood was 14.6 feet in the proper city areas which were estimated to be the 10th highest flood level in the history of floods in the Brisbane city. Major parts of the city were submerged under water and evacuation centers and rescue teams were launched by the government of Australia to manage the disastrous consequences of this flood. The flood not only led to the loss of lives and property but it also had profound impacts on the psychological and physical health of the residents in Brisbane (Alderman, Turner, and Tonga, 2013). In total, more than 200,000 people were affected in varied ways by the Brisbane flood. A commercial loss of around USD 4 billion was recorded across different sectors like tourism, mining, and agriculture. The flood caused the inundation of 3570 business and commercial premises and caused the damage of 1900 kilometers of roads in Brisbane city.