River peaked more than one metre below what officials feared
Brisbane River has spared its namesake the worst case scenario flood, capping at 4.46 metres at around 5:15 on Wednesday. That’s more than a metre below the level many feared—at 5.4 metres, the river devastated the city in 1974. However, forecaster Brett Harrison said, “We still expect it to be above major flood levels until sometime during Friday and remain high over the weekend.” Brisbane is reeling from damage caused by a huge concrete walkway that broke off and was carried away with the river, “smashing everything in its path,” according to an eyewitness. Mayor Campbell Newman has announced revised predictions of the flood’s damage—modeling showed that at a peak of 4.6 metres, roughly 11,9000 properties would be fully flooded and 14,7000 partially flooded.The death toll from the floods thus far is 13, with many people still unaccounted for.