"History will be kind to us, because we will write it"
[First filed: Dec 9, 2010 @ 8:31]
[The back of Riverside Plaza this morning]
The NSW SES is very worried that the Captains Flat Dam is going to fail amid concerns about flooding in Queanbeyan.
The dam failure warning system for Captains Flat Dam earlier this morning triggered a red alert. This has been downgraded and it is now issued as an Amber Alert. The dam is not expected to fail at this level but if the water keeps rising, a Red Alert could be triggered and major flooding of Captains Flat could result.
UPDATE: In the ACT the ESA is also expressing concern about Oaks Estate.
If you have pictures, as always, send them in to images@the-riotact.com .
FURTHER UPDATE: Pretty soon it won’t matter how many spillways they open at Scrivener Dam:
UPDATE 3: Dave has sent in pictures from Captains Flat with this note:
the crimes are in captains flat ATM “recreating” an event that happened earlier today. Where a local man caught a large yellowbelly on the bowling green. I was there when it happened and wondered if you would like (to publish) the actual pictures? also have some of the river and water over the dam wall.
Pictures in the slideshow.
UPDATE 4: ACTPol_Traffic on Twitter is reporting Scrivener Dam has now been closed to traffic.
UPDATE 5: The National Capital Authority is giving notice that they’re considering opening the 5th gate of Scrivener this afternoon for the first time since 1976. They ask the public to stay away.
UPDATE 6: And the first joke has arrived, see below the fold!
UPDATE 7: Queanbeyan and Palerang have now been declared natural disaster areas.
UPDATE 8: The RSPCA is appealing for donations to help displaced Queanbeyan pet owners.
UPDATE 9: ACTEW are justifying why water from their Googong dam is raging through Queanbeyan.
UPDATE 10: TAMS have produced a very handy road closure guide.
UPDATE 11: Over 100 pictures in the slideshow! Keep them coming to images@the-riotact.com
UPDATE 12: Queanbeyan now trending number 4 on Twitter nationally.
UPDATE 13: TAMS have a new road closures list out.
UPDATE 14: Queanbeyan City Council’s website makes no mention at all of the town split asunder by floodwaters. (as at 16:30, 9 December 2010)
(Slideshow below, thanks to Ricky, Trina, Aussielyn, Peter, Kirrily, Amelia, Alexander, Snarky, UrbanAdventure, Davecpd, Dave, motleychick, ozchick, jake, James, Che and Hank)
Joke sent in by OzChick:
PLEASE DIG DEEP PEOPLE
Torrential rain hit Queanbeyan in the early hours of Wednesday 8th December 2010.
Victims were seen wandering around aimlessly, flannies soaked, woollen trackies sagging, muttering ‘Faaackinell’.
Flood waters devastated the area causing approximately $30 worth of damage, $10 of that at Karabar alone.
Three areas of historic burnt out cars were disturbed. Many locals were woken well before their Centrelink cheques arrived.
The Queanbeyan Age reported that hundreds of residents were confused and bewildered and were still trying to come to terms with the fact that something interesting had happened in Queanbeyan .
One resident – Tracy Maree Sharon Britney Madonna Smith, a 15-year-old Mother of 5 said ‘It was such a shock, my little daughter Chardonnay-Mercedes came running in to my bedroom crying. My youngest two
Joachim and River slept through it all.’Apparently, looting, muggings and car crime were unaffected and carried on as normal with a 95.7 % saturation rate .
The Australian Red Cross has so far managed to ship 4,000 crates of Bacardi-Breezers to the area to help the stricken locals particularly those at Jerrabomberra also known as Lower Tralee or East Machonachie.
Rescue workers are still searching through the rubble and have found large quantities of personal belongings, including Health Care Cards, Jewellery from Kmart and Bone China from Big W.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
This appeal is to raise money for food and clothing parcels for those unfortunate enough to be caught up in this disaster.
Clothing is most sought after – items most needed include: flannelette Shirts, tight blue jeans or spandex, singlets (blue & white) white sport socks, Ugg boots and any other items usually sold in Priceline or The Reject Shop.
Food parcels may be harder to come by, but are needed all the same.
Required foodstuffs urgently needed include: Microwave meals, Baked Beans, Ice cream, Chips, Fizzy drinks.
Donations of $15.00 will be taken to buy a packet of winny blue
action ACT Policing AFP ANU ask riotact belconnen Brumbies buses Canberra Canberra news Canberra Raiders cars charity civic construction development DIY wotz on guide DUI education election08 entertainment Environment ESA Events fire fire brigade Greens gungahlin health Images of Canberra jon stanhope katy gallagher Lake Burley Griffin legislative assembly local music music News parking police wrap public service real estate restaurant reviews roads rugby Simon Corbell
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.
Loading ...
I’ll be first to say it… might be a good thing!
The Ten news crawling update said the dam has failed and residents to stand by for evacuation.
They also mentionede QBN evacuating Forbes st, and one other street.
Told you all to prep for this about 3 months ago!
But did anybody listen? Noooooooooooooo!
arescarti42 said :
The SES have details on which streets are being evacuated here.
http://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/events/17479.html
I work on Crawford street, and the notable lack of anyone picking up the phone when I call work suggests they have probably been evacuated already. The flooding must be pretty severe.
Recent events have got me wondering at what point the ESA (in Canberra) would consider using the emergency warning phone thingy??
I know several people who work in Civic who were blissfully unaware of last Thursday’s massive storm in Weston Ck and Woden UNTIL they got home at 6pm to find unexpected indoor water features…
@ Captain RAAF
“Told you all to prep for this about 3 months ago!
But did anybody listen? Noooooooooooooo!”
Surely you’re used to being ignored by now?!
I hear large parts of Brindabella Park have been evacuated due to rising waters out there too.
Pics have been doing the rounds in the public service emails. I saw pics of Brindabella Business Park being flooded.
Jclarke said :
Where did you hear this from? Impossible. I work at Brindabella Park and there is no such evacuation occuring here.
Well send it in!
Damage now reported to be in the tens of dollars.
Apparently the flooded Brindabella Park pics are from the big storm on Saturday night.
JClarke, I’m at Majura. Someone emailed pictures of one of the streets at BPP underwater, and a small waterfall cascading off the multistory carpark stairs near the gym.
Apparently the flooded Brindabella Park pics are from the big storm on Saturday night.
Ahh, that explains it.
Fnaah – I got the same, and that must have caused the confusion.
Scrivener Dam photo is amazing !
ABC 666 did such a good job during the bush fires however their response to floods is well below par. All the “experts” they have spoken to so far have not had a clue. One, in Goulburn, said he was not sure what the situation was with the Queanbeyan River, doh.
One said if you found yourself in a life threatening situation, call 000. Alex Sloan asked Steve Whan how he knew what was happening in the region – his response “I live here”. Riveting stuff.
That pic of Googong is pretty crazy…
Canberra Times front page tomorrow morning: Natural disaster causes $20m in improvements to Queanbeyan.
Anyone know when the last time Scrivener Dam had five gates in flow?
Skidbladnir said :
Nevermind, found it.
“The dam provides flood control for the Molonglo-Queanbeyan section of the Murrumbidgee
catchment and will be able to accommodate a one in 5 000-year flood. The only time in the
dam’s history that all five gates were opened was in the flood of 1976.”
Skidbladnir said :
only once ever, in 1974
Reports are filtering in of massed bogans assembling near the entrance to Riverside Plaza and the Central Cafe demanding that the SES ferry them across to Maccas and Hungry Jacks as a healthy breakfast leads to a productive and healthy lifestyle. Queanbeyan police are involved in running skirmishes with more bogans down near the low level crossing who are trying to launch V8 ski boats in a heroic effort to get across to KFC for the luncheon feast.
i stand corrected, ’76 then.
This morning when three Scrivener gates were open, water in Woden Creek had backed up around the horse paddocks to within a couple of metres of the cyclepath bridge deck. Looking at water level below the dam on the slideshow pics (four gates open) vs the ones I took at 9.30am, I reckon Woden Creek could be within a metre of the bike path?
What a shame we have after school commitments today, I would love to see the Molonglo at Weston Ck confluence (back of RSPCA)!!
I’ve got photos from the late 80′s/early 90′s of Scrivener Dam with at least 4 gates open like today’s pics and with downstream at similar levels. The gully that runs up past the riding school was totally flooded too.
I hope Stanhope is taking measures to protect our borders from those trying to illegally seek refuge in the ACT
But seriously, sympathies to those affected
Gotta laugh at Hank’s photo of “Riverside Motors”
oops.
Thoroughly Smashed said :
Won’t we have to get out the ark for a 1 in 5,000 year flood?