Author Topic: Some Brisbane residents complain.... (Read 16988 times)

Chippy76 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 13, 2011, 10:42:12 PM »

For sure

As an ex soldier I fully appreciate what these men and women do, both at home and abroad!

Cheers Chippy

wartim · « **Reply #26 on:** January 13, 2011, 10:52:30 PM »

What about the story about a women at the supermarket who had 15 loaves of bread, when she was told she could only have 3 she threw the rest on the floor and stomped on them, maybe she is the mother of these other oxygen thieves?

I live in Toowomba and am proud to work for Hutchinson Builders. On the Monday we watched helplessly as several cars including one of ours floated away (glad they were all empty) in the water rushing past our work.

Same day we all got in and cleaned up our office as luckily only had 2 inches of water through, next door (a motorcycle dealership) had 5 ft of water through it. Then on the Tuesday and Wednesday after checking all staff were safe and OK, we deployed several teams and any available mechanical resources (trucks, bob cats, etc) for free to help others less fortunate than us in our area.

On the day after I witnessed an elderly person in casual clothes filling up his vehicle to the max and then several jerry cans with fuel, one can only he was giving the spare fuel to emergency service's - not?

A positive is that you never meet these types when camping so maybe that's one of the many attractions of camping?

davo69 and the Nurse · « **Reply #27 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:05:50 AM »

It upsets me that in this time of crisis, people are being inconsiderate and unreasonable. One can only hope that their petrol contains water and the bread goes mouldy.

the Nurse

schmik · « **Reply #28 on:** January 14, 2011, 10:38:23 AM »

They should be complaining to the council for being allowed to build houses in a floodplain.
I have full sympathy for the people!

They are living a nightmare. They will be cleaning up for months. Insurance won't help. AND they will still be living in floodplain.....
I know it doesn't help to say it now but : Poor Planning!

mike

Humbolt · « **Reply #29 on:** January 14, 2011, 11:14:51 AM »

Quote from: schmik on January 14, 2011, 10:38:23 AM

They should be complaining to the council for being allowed to build houses in a floodplain.
I have full sympathy for the people!

They are living a nightmare. They will be cleaning up for months. Insurance won't help. AND they will still be living in floodplain.....
I know it doesn't help to say it now but : Poor Planning!

mike

Sorry i disagree with this statement. The greater Brisbane area is a flood plain. People know the risks. People don't move away from the country because you may see a deadly snake or 2.
You always hear how council won't let us do this and that but when they do and something happens, guess what, the council should have stopped it. They really can't win sometimes. (no i don't work for council

)
Insurance is going to be a big bone of contention for a lot of people for example there is a big difference between flash-flooding and flooding. Apparently flash-flooding is a storm related event but flooding is plain ole flooding (water rising slowly).

This is the spirit that Anna Bligh talks about being present at the moment. For the most part there is no blame, there is only compassion and a will to help your fellow human!!

Sorry Mike i am not having a go at you at all (and i am not sure where you are from) but we are trying to stay positive up here!!

cancan · « **Reply #30 on:** January 14, 2011, 11:30:33 AM »

We were looking at moving to East Brisbane and one of our requirements was to be out of the flood zone....some of those areas do flood a fair bit although this is a 2 in 100 year event. We have now decided to stay where we are nice and high up although not high enough as we did get some run off rain water through the house.

As for Insurance, I believe all but Suncorp refuse flood insurance if you are in a flood prone suburb, and the Suncorp call centre was in Milton which went under. I felt sorry for there clients as they evacuated the call centre and didn't have much of a contingency plan from what I have heard.

As for the whingers, I agree use them bull shark feed along with the thiefs that they have caught.

schmik · « **Reply #31 on:** January 14, 2011, 11:53:22 AM »

Quote from: Humbolt on January 14, 2011, 11:14:51 AM

Sorry i disagree with this statement. The greater Brisbane area is a flood plain. People know the risks. People don't move away from the country because you may see a deadly snake or 2.
You always hear how council won't let us do this and that but when they do and something happens, guess what, the council should have stopped it.

No offence taken... if people knew the risks and didn't prepare then what's the problem? Are they now wasting our time and resources by needing to be rescued?

IMO, floodplains should be parkland. Oh, but council can't collect rates or land tax from those.

I know what i am saying is in poor taste AND at a bad time but we need to learn from it. Clearly the one in 1974 taught people nothing.

mike

farmer6 · « **Reply #32 on:** January 14, 2011, 12:15:56 PM »

More relatives of the oxygen thieves out here. To 'ladys' had a full blown, hair pulling, slapping and scratching fight over the last few carrots in the shopping center. Then at the servo the diesel is getting low and one guy was annoyed that the guy filling his ute was taking to long so he gave him a mouthful, so the other bloke pulled out the gun and sprayed his bonnet with diesel. A fight broke out with a fair bit of blood being drawn from both blokes.

As the floods go on and you here more and more stories it just highlights what must be happening all the time but you just don't hear about it. The floods haven't made most normal people wankers, they are just more obvious now. Its a good thing that there are more 'normal' people out there, helping each other and restoring your trust in people.

As far as floodplains being parkland, get a map of were the floods have been and see how much the poor councils will have to mow and how many swing sets they would have to buy.

farmer6

austastar · « **Reply #33 on:** January 14, 2011, 12:27:32 PM »

Hi,
A friend had bought a 25 Acre block of land in the Huon Valley, south of Hobart, mostly steep rocky bushland and part river frontage on Mountain River.
The level river frontage was obviously a flood plain, and this was where he wanted to build, so his house was designed appropriately to cope with flowing water to a depth of 3 meters. It was simple construction, no unusual building techniques were needed, just raise the building 3 meters on a sacrificial flow through under the house garage area with full roller doors either end.
All under the house switches are ceiling mounted pull cord type and power points are workshop type over head plugs on cords.
Not sure what he did with plumbing, but it would have been septic tank in that area.
Now the irony of this story of course, is that he never experienced a flood in the 30 odd years that he lived there.
So the purpose of this rant?
Just to ponder on the building codes that allow buildings that will not cope with any flooding at all to be built in areas that are known and well documented as being subject to inundation.
cheers

Kit_e_kat9 · « **Reply #34 on:** January 14, 2011, 12:55:06 PM »

I have to address the thoughts that council shouldn't allow people to build in flood prone areas.

In Brisbane we have 1 large flood every 100 years (hence the name 1 in 100 year event). Prior to 1974 it was 1893 and of course again now. Before that, who knows as white blokes didn't live here then and no records were kept.

When the settlement was first built (and this would be the case in just about all major cities and 75% of towns), the built near water, river, stream, puddle. And this is the reason we have those settlements (oops I mean cities) in the same areas now. The infrastructure is still there from the late 1800's, and so are the houses, the cemetaries, the post office. Back then the mode of transport was horse, and horses need water just as much as we do.

Toowoomba is NOT on a flood plain and doesn't have a river right beside it. That was a flash flood. But they still have low lying areas (yes even on the very top of the range). Brisbane Council doesn't see that a 1 every 100 year issue is much of an issue at any other time than the worst time. People forget quickly, and the next generation won't even know about it other than by old photo's and stories.

If you are to take this attitude towards low lying areas, then please propose where we do build our houses? It is a large enough continent, but could we all fit if we are all high and dry? How much would the infrastructure then cost and who would pay it? What about freak events?

Kit_e

schmik · « **Reply #35 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:02:05 PM »

Like the post above yours says. Build them on stilts.... hey isn't that called 'a queenslander'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenslander_%28architecture%29

As you yourself said, we have been keeping records for 200 years. How does that give us the info to call it a 1 in 100 year event. What if it's a 1 in 30 year event?

As for paying for it? wouldn't you rather pay 20% extra when you build and know that you will be high and dry?

mike

Camping Grant · « **Reply #36 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:06:15 PM »

Just putting in my two cents...in QLD, the way the planning regime works is that it is performance based....that is, if a development proposal ticks the boxes, or the applicant can provide an 'acceptable' solution to an issue, then Council's really must approve the development. Sucks I know, but that is how things like this can (and do) occur. And yes, I work for GCCC.

Cheers
Grant

Kit_e_kat9 · « **Reply #37 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:12:43 PM »

Quote from: schmik on January 14, 2011, 01:02:05 PM

Like the post above yours says. Build them on stilts.... hey isn't that called 'a queenslander'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenslander_%28architecture%29

As you yourself said, we have been keeping records for 200 years. How does that give us the info to call it a 1 in 100 year event. What if it's a 1 in 30 year event?

As for paying for it? wouldn't you rather pay 20% extra when you build and know that you will be high and dry?

mike

But where will we find stilts 8m high Mike?

schmik · « **Reply #38 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:17:30 PM »

Ok... paying 80% extra.

Didn't the river peak at 4meters? do you need 8m stilts?
Natural disasters are unavoidable but 'a box on a slab' should not have been allowed in a flood plain.

mike

Kit_e_kat9 · « **Reply #39 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:41:04 PM »

Quote from: schmik on January 14, 2011, 01:17:30 PM

Ok... paying 80% extra.

Didn't the river peak at 4meters? do you need 8m stilts?
Natural disasters are unavoidable but 'a box on a slab' should not have been allowed in a flood plain.

mike

Mike,

Grantham, the worst hit with this particular areas "event", the wall of water was 8m high (they are at the bottom of the range).

Flood levels peaked in Rocky at 19.2m, Savages Crossing peaked at 20+m. What will those guys do for stilts?

I understand what you are saying, but you'd need a feasible proposition to go through council mate. 20+m stilts probably won't cut the mustard. It'd be top heavy for a start ... alot of the houses around Grantham ~~are~~ were on stilts.

Kit_e

schmik · « **Reply #40 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:48:14 PM »

But... out of X houses that were destroyed. If Y were on stilts how many would be saved?
I.e in how much of the affected areas did the flood go above 3meters?

mike

austastar · « **Reply #41 on:** January 14, 2011, 02:48:38 PM »

Quote from: Kit_e_kat9 on January 14, 2011, 01:41:04 PM

Grantham, the worst hit with this particular areas "event", the wall of water was 8m high (they are at the bottom of the range).

Flood levels peaked in Rocky at 19.2m, Savages Crossing peaked at 20+m. What will those guys do for stilts?

Hi,
We now know that Grantham is in a geographical position to receive a flash flood from rain as it was recently recorded.
Would hydrology modelling have been able to predict this? Maybe, but perhaps it wasn't done.
Would stilts have been practical? At that height, I doubt it! Will this event ever occur again? It is not impossible.
Is it now considered a viable long term site for building in? I would say no, but am hardly in a position to have enough knowledge to make an informed decision.
To rebuild the area in the knowledge of past events may just happen piecemeal, but it now carries a known risk.
Knowing the risk, we can reduce its potential adverse effects with forward planning and establishing procedures.
Risk can be managed. Even avoiding the 'eggs in one basket' is a better strategy than no strategy at all.

No doubt many lessons, ideas, strategies will come from this natural event that we will learn, adapt and use in the future to cope much better with similar occurrences in the future.

cheers

dazzler · « **Reply #42 on:** January 14, 2011, 05:38:43 PM »

Our council is currently going through a rethink on coastal developments due to concerns (rightly or wrongly) that sea levels may rise.

There are some pretty vocal residents sitting on some pretty valuable coastal land that will lose a lot if they are rezoned.

Phantomxr8 · « **Reply #43 on:** January 15, 2011, 12:48:32 PM »

I only just seen this,
All I can say is if noisy mogs and helicopters are all they have to winge about we must be doing a good job!
I have 4 good mates that have had there leave cut short to help out but were helping with sandbagging ect before they got called in any way (I couldnt help as im in the middle east ATM)
Can you imagine the complaints if we wernt there LOL

Cheers Ben

Duchess · « **Reply #44 on:** January 15, 2011, 02:07:42 PM »

Then there were the blokes having a winge at the ABC reporter that they wanted milk and all they wanted was milk...well, get a grip cupcake - what's wrong with a glass of water...or wait...how about a beer?

As to the winge about aircraft noise..."Here's Your Sign"...

(would someone have actually rung officials to complain about this? Or has it just been something that someone heard?)

Pauly · « **Reply #45 on:** January 15, 2011, 03:56:31 PM »

The funny thing is the so called whingers might be and probably are totally innocent. I dont have respect for the media and I usually always suspect a beat up.

Journo to householder; how are you coping with the chopper noise, as 1 flys over head.

Householder; yeah they are pretty loud, bit hard to sleep etc etc.

Journo back at office; Resident Whinge at Chopper Noise.

The media feed on peoples suffering and anything for a headline.

rescue1 · « **Reply #46 on:** January 15, 2011, 08:55:04 PM »

I recall a number of years ago being in charge of a NSWRFS tanker at the fires at Kenhurst (north west Syndey). We pulled up at one house unloaded the portable pump and headed into the back yard, dropped the suction for the pump into the pool and ran out the houses ready for the fire that ws coming up the valley. Home owner had ignored the requests to evacuate and comes storming out of his house moaning that we were going to steal his water. Explained we were going to use his pool water to save his house, rants still continue. Order to crew to pack up explain to the home owner that we are leaving to go next door and save that house (also with a swimming pool) rants escalate so I explain to the home owner that we will refill his pool if we empty it all at no charge. Rant ends, chair and refresments appear, gotta love humanity (otherwise we shoot ourselves)

Hauler · « **Reply #47 on:** January 16, 2011, 09:14:34 AM »

Quote from: Duchess on January 15, 2011, 02:07:42 PM

Then there were the blokes having a winge at the ABC reporter that they wanted milk and all they wanted was milk...well, get a grip cupcake - what's wrong with a glass of water...or wait...how about a beer?

As to the winge about aircraft noise..."Here's Your Sign"... (would someone have actually rung officials to complain about this? Or has it just been something that someone heard?)

There is a discreet number for making complaints about aircraft noise to Airservices Australia so it is at least possible......

Hauler · « **Reply #48 on:** January 16, 2011, 09:18:25 AM »

Quote from: Pauly on January 15, 2011, 03:56:31 PM

The funny thing is the so called whingers might be and probably are totally innocent. I dont have respect for the media and I usually always suspect a beat up.

Journo to householder; how are you coping with the chopper noise, as 1 flys over head.

Householder; yeah they are pretty loud, bit hard to sleep etc etc.

Journo back at office; Resident Whinge at Chopper Noise.

The media feed on peoples suffering and anything for a headline.

As the OP I should say that I agree with Pauly's sentiments and have little respect for Australian media standards. However I am sure that I saw this subject mentioned during one of the two-hourly media conferences.

kickinback · « **Reply #49 on:** January 16, 2011, 09:43:21 AM »

Back in 2009 with the fires around here we had people all over Melbourne complaining about the smoke. This really started to tick me off so my standard reply became "Do you still have a house, a car and your family"? The reply would always be "Yes" with a bit of a puzzled look on their faces. My reply to that would be "Then you really dont have anything to complain about then"

I guess its a glass half full thing

News:

Author Topic: Some Brisbane residents complain.... (Read 16988 times)