Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Body of sixth victim found as Queensland's flood recovery begins - NEWS.com.au



Bundaberg


A man comforts his daughter on their roof as they inspect damage to their neighbourhood in Bundaberg. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images Source: Getty Images




A SECOND body has been discovered in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, bringing the death toll from the Queensland floods to six.



The Toowoomba Chronicle is reporting that the body, presumed to be missing Taiwanese man Jerry Yukun, was found 300m from where cars were found submerged in the flooded Sandy Creek at Glen Cairn.


Police media could not confirm the reports.


Mr Yukun, 25, went missing at the same time as a Malaysian farm worker, 34, whose body was found this morning.


The men, who were in separate cars, had been travelling from Gatton to Mulgowie to start work at a farm at 5am (AEST) and are believed to have been swept off the road by floodwaters.


A white 1997 Mitsubishi Magna, which police believe was being driven by the 25-year-old Taiwanese man, was found in the area yesterday afternoon.


"We're not too sure if they were known to each other,'' a police spokesman told AAP.


Vowing to rebuild Queensland, Premier Campbell Newman announced a Flood Appeal Committee, headed by former Bligh government treasurer Terry Mackenroth.


With the magnitude of the disaster becoming apparent, Mr Newman said the destruction to Queensland had been "absolutely massive''.


He called on the support of all Queenslanders to help rebuild.


"We can do this,'' he told reporters in Brisbane today.


Those confirmed dead are a three-year-old boy who had a tree fall on him in Brisbane and three men who died in floodwaters: one south of Brisbane, one at Burnett Heads near Bundaberg, and the other near Gympie.


In worst-hit Bundaberg, which was devastated as the Burnett River peaked at a record 9.6m, authorities moved into recovery mode today after the floods inundated about 2000 homes and 200 businesses.


Mr Newman said soldiers were en route to the sugar-farming town where more than 7500 residents have been forced to seek refuge in evacuation shelters or with family and friends.


"This morning we have 120 soldiers from the Enoggera army barracks in 44 vehicles heading north to Bundaberg,'' Newman told the ABC.


More army resources were on standby to help in Bundaberg and other surrounding flood-hit communities, he added.


An ABC reporter in the town said petrol stations had run out of fuel while a helicopter and boats were resupplying some of the smaller settlements around the area that remain cut off.


Meanwhile police said three people, including two teenage girls and a 25-year-old man, had been charged with looting in the Queensland town of Gympie during flooding there.


While Brisbane escaped the worst of the floodwaters, the deluge damaged water treatment plants and Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said there were concerns parts of the city of two million could run out of water.


"There is still a very real concern that water could run out,'' he told reporters, although Newman said provisions were in place to supply bottled water to any areas affected.


Governor-General Quentin Bryce urged the nation to dig deep and donate to Queensland's flood disaster victims, during an emotional visit to Bundaberg Hospital evacuees in Brisbane.


Ms Bryce said the people of Bundaberg are facing an extreme situation and urged Australians to give all the support they can.


"Come on Australians, remember who we are, what we stand for, our generosity, our volunteerism, our care for others,'' she told reporters outside the Royal Brisbane Hospital.


In Brisbane, the key challenge in the coming days will be to maintain water supplies after the flooding forced the shutdown of two processing plants.


Stocks of bottled water have been positioned around Brisbane amid fears taps could run dry in some suburbs today.


Flooding in the Brisbane River catchment has caused major problems at water treatment plants at Mt Crosby.


Repair crews are making some progress and have them partially running again, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says.


But there are fears they could break down again due to the extremely high amount of mud being carried by water feeding into the plants.


The suburbs at risk of losing mains water supply include Tarragindi, Camp Hill, Carina, Mount Gravatt, Tingalpa, Rocklea, and Oxley.


Premier Campbell Newman said supplies of bottled water have been positioned on the southside in case supplies run out.


''If any reservoir runs dry, we'll be immediately providing that for distribution to local areas,'' he told ABC television.


''This is very serious.''


He said residents across Brisbane and Ipswich must limit water use to the necessities of drinking, bathing and cleaning until the treatment plant was back on line.


Queensland Urban Utilities says production at the Mount Crosby plant has increased, but consumption is also going up - despite the call for people to conserve water.


He said water in Brisbane was currently being drawn from three sources - the Mount Crosby plant, North Pine dam and from a southern connector pipe drawing water from areas south of the city.




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