8 ms·

Brisbane floods: before and after

178 points by mjfern 16y ago

trafficlight 16y ago
I really don't like that slide effect. A simple mouseover would have sufficed.
- harto 16y ago
  Revealing the flood image from left to right probably would've worked better, too.
  - jarek 16y ago
    My first reaction was "is this because they drive on the left?"
    - neckbeard 16y ago
      No, LCD screens work upside-down here, just like our drains are the "wrong" direction. (Tip for the sarcasm impaired: that's a bad joke.)
      - damncabbage 16y ago
        Proof: http://dump.robhoward.id.au/pics/photos/australian_monitor_orientation.jpg http://dump.robhoward.id.au/pics/photos/australian_monitor_o...
  - hugh3 16y ago
    I dunno, it's kinda intuitive when you have it halfway across that the left side should be "before" and the right side should be "after".
- dstein 16y ago
  I'm on an iPad and can't find any way to view the flood images. And it would probably have taken only one line of code to enable it to work on all touchscreen devices by adding an on click event.
blantonl 16y ago
Interesting there is no "outrage" yet in the media regarding this disaster. I was raised in New Orleans, LA, so I see these types of things differently. And on the surface, Brisbane looks eerily similar to NOLA. Is this an event that could have been prevented or is this a 1000 year flood?
- jerf 16y ago
  Who would be the target of this outrage? I know nothing about Aussie politics, honest question.
  - fungi 16y ago
    depends shock jocks will blame the greens "for not letting us build more dams" or some other rubbish. greens (like me) will blame poor planning for building cities and major infrastructure on known flood plains.
    - jacques_chester 16y ago
      Effects can have more than one cause, my friend.
      - deleted 16y ago
        [deleted]
    - hugh3 16y ago
      Brisbane has been in its present location since 1825. If the "green" answer to "how can we stop floods in Brisbane" is "well you shouldn't have built a city there in the first place, so nyer" then I don't think that's the kind of attitude that's going to do wonders for the cause of environmentalism. Seriously though, to the extent that there's fingers to be pointed they should be pointed at the folks in charge of the Wivenhoe Dam. But hey, I'm not a dam engineer, so maybe we really do need a second dam.
      - fungi 16y ago
keyle 16y ago
I live in Brisbane (I'm fine). I helped with the clean up - cooking about 200 hot dogs last Saturday for the volunteers. The sight was absolutely unbelievable. Houses were gutted. Garbage furniture all over the streets, piles taller than me. One thing I will never forget though. The smell.
- neckbeard 16y ago
  Yeah, 200 hot dogs would leave a stench that time can't erase. (But congrats for getting out there - you have the support of those of us in the other states.)
  - keyle 16y ago
    There is so much to do. No doubt next week-end I'm at it again. there is an unbelievable solidarity though. You can also help, interstate, by donating money. They will need it.
    - hugh3 16y ago
      Anyone got any recommendations on where to best donate the money? Red Cross?
      - thret 16y ago
        If you donate at Crown they will match your donation. Probably have to physically be here though.
    - rodh257 16y ago
      Donation link: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
    - neckbeard 16y ago
      Already done, and now waiting to see how they go with the Victorian flooding!
elvirs 16y ago
are there crocodiles in the water?
- prawn 16y ago
  In some places there could be, further North. Probably not in Brisbane. Snakes might be more of an issue.
  - elvirs 16y ago
    Though snakes that live (or just hang out) in water are not dangerous, the really bad snakes are the ones that live in deserts. (I think I learned this from NatGeo)
    - prawn 16y ago
      I'm not sure that you should rely on that as a rule. Some sea snakes (at least in Australia) are venomous. Also, snakes (including venomous ones that might normally live out of the water) can swim and in flooded regions would be forced to do just that. The red bellied black snake isn't as dangerous as the inland taipan or eastern brown, but it does like water.
    - brc 16y ago
      Fundamentally not true. Some of the most dangerous snakes in Australia always live in and near watercourses, and are usually disturbed while sunning themselves near a river when someone decides to go for a swim. The types of snakes found swimming around in the Queensland floods are not the types you want to be messing with. Try this one on for size : http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Red_Bellied_Black_Snake.html http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Red_Bellied_Black_Snake.html I saw a 3m one of these about a week ago sunning itself next to the river near my house. And I don't live in the bush.
- stoney 16y ago
  Further north there were reports of crocodiles swimming into people's homes. But not in Brisbane.
rodh257 16y ago
Also relevant to this is a submission I posted last week which didn't get any attention unfortunately: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2096644 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2096644 about a site - http://FightTheFloods.com http://FightTheFloods.com which my partner and I created to try and help those who are in need of assistance (volunteers, supplies whatever) to get the message out to people who may be able to help. Since I launched it last Wednesday, it's reached 350+ people registered, and I've personally seen a number of the requests for assistance be fulfilled, so I think it's made at least a bit of a difference to someone, so therefore it's been worthwhile.
chrislloyd 16y ago
This was done by @jimwhimpey. His (brief) write up: http://log.valhallaisland.com/post/2785174890 http://log.valhallaisland.com/post/2785174890
elvirs 16y ago
The government should have built the damn dam
coin 16y ago
The stunning imagery aside, these are satellite images, not aerial.
- hugh3 16y ago
  What makes you say that? The text states that they're aerial photographs taken in flyovers, and they certainly look more aerial than satellite to me (they'd be very high resolution if they were satellite).
- puffl 16y ago
  Actually, the photos are taken from a plane. http://twitter.com/#!/NearMap/status/26841599145156610 http://twitter.com/#!/NearMap/status/26841599145156610
  - coin 16y ago
    Well I was fooled. It's hard to tell these days.
Dramatize 16y ago
It was strange driving down the road, looking down a side street, and seeing houses underwater.
follower 16y ago
The 2011 linux.conf.au conference is going ahead next week in spite of the flood: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2112337 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2112337 "The team encourages everyone to still come to Brisbane and support local business and the community - we need your support!" After having been through the after-effects of an earthquake where I live it's been clear to see the difference it makes for businesses that can open to have custom.
- mmaunder 16y ago
  "But in the mud and scum of things, There always, something sings." ~Emerson
recoil 16y ago
There is an inherent conflict between using a dam for drinking water and using it for flood management. That the Wivenhoe was and is used for both is not a surprise, particularly after the droughts leading up to 2008, but the flooding raises serious questions about how sensible that would be in future. That said, the Wivenhoe in this case did precisely what it was meant to do, and those who operated it did an admirable job under extremely trying circumstances, IMHO. It simply wasn't designed to cope with the volumes of rainfall that occurred, afaict. I hope the forthcoming inquiry will not focus so much on the smaller-scale "tactical" decisions that led up to the flooding (it will be news to nobody if it turns out some mistakes were made: I'm sure there were), but more on the state's water management strategy as a whole. Unfortunately the news reporting I've seen so far has already tended towards the former. It's water management strategy that has failed SE Queensland twice in the last few years: first when the water nearly ran out after the drought, and now only two years later there's too much water by half. Neither drought nor flood are strangers to Australia, so half-arsed measures and excuses should not cut it for anybody. Increasingly unstable weather conditions caused by climate change make it even more urgent that we get this right.
mkramlich 16y ago
lessons from floods, reinforced for the 9,753rd time: 1. __have home on high ground__ 2. see 1 3. see 1 all else is bullshit and/or out of your control (eg. level of flooding, degree of local or government competence/planning/assistance, etc.)
- d5tryr 16y ago
  that would be brilliant and uesful advice if we had a time machine...
  - rodh257 16y ago
    Someone probably said that in 74 as well
- jarek 16y ago
  Make that "rock high ground" unless you want to find yourself on one end of a landslide (and then on the other).
- maweaver 16y ago
  For those in the US wanting to follow this advice, FEMA has an online map showing flood hazard zones at http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/info?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&content=MIPRedirect&title=MIPRedirect http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/info?storeId=1...
akent 16y ago
The "Rocklea (wide view)" one is particularly striking.

178 points by mjfern 16y ago

trafficlight 16y ago

I really don't like that slide effect. A simple mouseover would have sufficed.

harto 16y ago
Revealing the flood image from left to right probably would've worked better, too.
- jarek 16y ago
  My first reaction was "is this because they drive on the left?"
  - neckbeard 16y ago
    No, LCD screens work upside-down here, just like our drains are the "wrong" direction. (Tip for the sarcasm impaired: that's a bad joke.)
    - damncabbage 16y ago
      Proof: http://dump.robhoward.id.au/pics/photos/australian_monitor_orientation.jpg http://dump.robhoward.id.au/pics/photos/australian_monitor_o...
- hugh3 16y ago
  I dunno, it's kinda intuitive when you have it halfway across that the left side should be "before" and the right side should be "after".
dstein 16y ago
I'm on an iPad and can't find any way to view the flood images. And it would probably have taken only one line of code to enable it to work on all touchscreen devices by adding an on click event.

blantonl 16y ago

Interesting there is no "outrage" yet in the media regarding this disaster. I was raised in New Orleans, LA, so I see these types of things differently. And on the surface, Brisbane looks eerily similar to NOLA. Is this an event that could have been prevented or is this a 1000 year flood?

jerf 16y ago
Who would be the target of this outrage? I know nothing about Aussie politics, honest question.
- fungi 16y ago
  depends shock jocks will blame the greens "for not letting us build more dams" or some other rubbish. greens (like me) will blame poor planning for building cities and major infrastructure on known flood plains.
  - jacques_chester 16y ago
    Effects can have more than one cause, my friend.
    - deleted 16y ago
      [deleted]
  - hugh3 16y ago
    Brisbane has been in its present location since 1825. If the "green" answer to "how can we stop floods in Brisbane" is "well you shouldn't have built a city there in the first place, so nyer" then I don't think that's the kind of attitude that's going to do wonders for the cause of environmentalism. Seriously though, to the extent that there's fingers to be pointed they should be pointed at the folks in charge of the Wivenhoe Dam. But hey, I'm not a dam engineer, so maybe we really do need a second dam.
    - fungi 16y ago

keyle 16y ago

I live in Brisbane (I'm fine). I helped with the clean up - cooking about 200 hot dogs last Saturday for the volunteers. The sight was absolutely unbelievable. Houses were gutted. Garbage furniture all over the streets, piles taller than me. One thing I will never forget though. The smell.

neckbeard 16y ago
Yeah, 200 hot dogs would leave a stench that time can't erase. (But congrats for getting out there - you have the support of those of us in the other states.)
- keyle 16y ago
  There is so much to do. No doubt next week-end I'm at it again. there is an unbelievable solidarity though. You can also help, interstate, by donating money. They will need it.
  - hugh3 16y ago
    Anyone got any recommendations on where to best donate the money? Red Cross?
    - thret 16y ago
      If you donate at Crown they will match your donation. Probably have to physically be here though.
  - rodh257 16y ago
    Donation link: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
  - neckbeard 16y ago
    Already done, and now waiting to see how they go with the Victorian flooding!

elvirs 16y ago

are there crocodiles in the water?

prawn 16y ago
In some places there could be, further North. Probably not in Brisbane. Snakes might be more of an issue.
- elvirs 16y ago
  Though snakes that live (or just hang out) in water are not dangerous, the really bad snakes are the ones that live in deserts. (I think I learned this from NatGeo)
  - prawn 16y ago
    I'm not sure that you should rely on that as a rule. Some sea snakes (at least in Australia) are venomous. Also, snakes (including venomous ones that might normally live out of the water) can swim and in flooded regions would be forced to do just that. The red bellied black snake isn't as dangerous as the inland taipan or eastern brown, but it does like water.
  - brc 16y ago
    Fundamentally not true. Some of the most dangerous snakes in Australia always live in and near watercourses, and are usually disturbed while sunning themselves near a river when someone decides to go for a swim. The types of snakes found swimming around in the Queensland floods are not the types you want to be messing with. Try this one on for size : http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Red_Bellied_Black_Snake.html http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Red_Bellied_Black_Snake.html I saw a 3m one of these about a week ago sunning itself next to the river near my house. And I don't live in the bush.
stoney 16y ago
Further north there were reports of crocodiles swimming into people's homes. But not in Brisbane.

rodh257 16y ago

Also relevant to this is a submission I posted last week which didn't get any attention unfortunately: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2096644 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2096644 about a site - http://FightTheFloods.com http://FightTheFloods.com which my partner and I created to try and help those who are in need of assistance (volunteers, supplies whatever) to get the message out to people who may be able to help. Since I launched it last Wednesday, it's reached 350+ people registered, and I've personally seen a number of the requests for assistance be fulfilled, so I think it's made at least a bit of a difference to someone, so therefore it's been worthwhile.

chrislloyd 16y ago

This was done by @jimwhimpey. His (brief) write up: http://log.valhallaisland.com/post/2785174890 http://log.valhallaisland.com/post/2785174890

elvirs 16y ago

The government should have built the damn dam

coin 16y ago

The stunning imagery aside, these are satellite images, not aerial.

hugh3 16y ago
What makes you say that? The text states that they're aerial photographs taken in flyovers, and they certainly look more aerial than satellite to me (they'd be very high resolution if they were satellite).
puffl 16y ago
Actually, the photos are taken from a plane. http://twitter.com/#!/NearMap/status/26841599145156610 http://twitter.com/#!/NearMap/status/26841599145156610
- coin 16y ago
  Well I was fooled. It's hard to tell these days.

Dramatize 16y ago

It was strange driving down the road, looking down a side street, and seeing houses underwater.

follower 16y ago

The 2011 linux.conf.au conference is going ahead next week in spite of the flood: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2112337 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2112337 "The team encourages everyone to still come to Brisbane and support local business and the community - we need your support!" After having been through the after-effects of an earthquake where I live it's been clear to see the difference it makes for businesses that can open to have custom.

mmaunder 16y ago
"But in the mud and scum of things, There always, something sings." ~Emerson

recoil 16y ago

There is an inherent conflict between using a dam for drinking water and using it for flood management. That the Wivenhoe was and is used for both is not a surprise, particularly after the droughts leading up to 2008, but the flooding raises serious questions about how sensible that would be in future. That said, the Wivenhoe in this case did precisely what it was meant to do, and those who operated it did an admirable job under extremely trying circumstances, IMHO. It simply wasn't designed to cope with the volumes of rainfall that occurred, afaict. I hope the forthcoming inquiry will not focus so much on the smaller-scale "tactical" decisions that led up to the flooding (it will be news to nobody if it turns out some mistakes were made: I'm sure there were), but more on the state's water management strategy as a whole. Unfortunately the news reporting I've seen so far has already tended towards the former. It's water management strategy that has failed SE Queensland twice in the last few years: first when the water nearly ran out after the drought, and now only two years later there's too much water by half. Neither drought nor flood are strangers to Australia, so half-arsed measures and excuses should not cut it for anybody. Increasingly unstable weather conditions caused by climate change make it even more urgent that we get this right.

mkramlich 16y ago

lessons from floods, reinforced for the 9,753rd time: 1. __have home on high ground__ 2. see 1 3. see 1 all else is bullshit and/or out of your control (eg. level of flooding, degree of local or government competence/planning/assistance, etc.)

d5tryr 16y ago
that would be brilliant and uesful advice if we had a time machine...
- rodh257 16y ago
  Someone probably said that in 74 as well
jarek 16y ago
Make that "rock high ground" unless you want to find yourself on one end of a landslide (and then on the other).
maweaver 16y ago
For those in the US wanting to follow this advice, FEMA has an online map showing flood hazard zones at http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/info?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&content=MIPRedirect&title=MIPRedirect http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/info?storeId=1...

akent 16y ago

The "Rocklea (wide view)" one is particularly striking.