Everyone keeps asking about the floods & who is affected, so I will re-post the maps to give Cuties an idea of how large the area of devastation is. Please wait for me to upload & write info...

Thank you Meganne for all this information. When I go to choir practice tonight I will ask our Choir to keep All Aussies in their prayers.

Our Choir sends their Blessings and keeps all of you in their prayers. You shall be on our prayer chain list for this weekend.

Cindy B

Thank you Meganne for all this information. When I go to choir practice tonight I will ask our Choir to keep All Aussies in their prayers.

Words cannot express the grief I feel for everyone involved. I have asked churches here to be in prayer for you. Please know that you have many people who care.

It is by the postings of the Australian Cuties that we are seeing just what is happening. It is hard to know just what to say. I have just read Sandra's post and it really brings it home. I feel any more comments I make will sound feeble.

Meg thank for posting the maps.Great ideal.For those ---In Queensland you can see Toowoomba(4 death) where they are saying we had a Tsuami We are on to of the Range. Water from running down the range caused the damage in the Locker Valley --deaths occured--still looking for familes. Thus the did flow down towards Brisbane.All doors had to be open at the dam. 75% of Quunsland is still or has been under water.Cuties by these map you can give you a ideal of the area in volved.Also flooding in N.S.W.,Vic. and of cause the fires over in West Au.Thank you for caring for us in Australia.Food and petrol is another issue.No basic in the super markets.

Wish and pray that it will be over soon...German television
explained in detail the terrible situation in Brisbane.
It is sooo worse - We think of you
Maria

Thanx so much Meganne! I had no idea that Austrailia was so huge! I am just awed by how much is haveing problems of one kind or another. I Pray for all in Aus. And especially for all Cuties who live there. Hugs & Prayers, Judy

Wow! Thanks for all the info Meganne!!! It is a very sad situation - that is not over with yet!!! And, I pray for all those impacted - which will be many many families!!

Thanks for the maps and explainations of what is really going on and the area effected! It give all of us not familar with the territory some idea of the magnitude of the destruction that has already been and some idea of what is yet to come. My prayers go out to all who are in the area and to those that have have family and friends who are there! I was not really aware of the area it covered until I saw the maps and read your post! You just never know what is in store just around the corner. Everyone does need to take time to pray for all of the families! May our Lord and his angels watch over all involved.

I just want to say to everyone affected by this,be safe and dry, always pray to our Lord!

Comparison map of Australia and Europe

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4 comments

by mops 12 Jan 2011

I don't think the caption is right, this is only a part of Europe. Europe measures 10,180,000 km2 Australia 7,617,000 km2.

The news (TV and papers) mention that the affected area is about Germany and France combined. Those 2 countries together equal 908,000 km2, and I just can't imagine so much land flooded, so much devastation, enormous! Fortunately unlike France and Germany there aren't 145 million people living in that area, the amount of people affected is large enough as it is. It's heart breaking to see the footage on the telly each day and it must be a harrowing experience for all of you.

Living in a small country I just can't get my head round things on this scale. The Netherlands is less than 2/3 of Tasmania - 41,850 sq km against 68,400 sq km (but we have 16.6 million inhabitants against Tasmania 507,628).

by pennifold 12 Jan 2011

What a great map this is Meg - shows how enormous our country of Australia is when you can put all those other countries into it. We certainly are a country of extremes. Love Chris

by meganne 13 Jan 2011

Thanks Martine.

The only countries I can see that are not on this map are: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania, which probably accounts for the difference.

Please know, I did not create this comparison map, it is found on many different sites by doing a Google search.

Perhaps it shows the original Europe and not the new European Union.

I did not think Great Britain and Ireland were called Europe, but geography has always been my worst subject, only started getting interested as an adult and still haven't learnt much. LOLOL!!!
Hugs n love, Meg

by mops 13 Jan 2011

I know it not yours. Did you see the small lettering saying Europe's area shown? That's only 34% of Europe!
Great Britain and Ireland are part of Europe and are members of the European Union (not founding members though), which is only a (small but growing) part of Europe. And the part shown is even smaller than the EU.
Here endeth the lesson. :)
I'm so glad your family is safe!
Hnr, Martine

I would just like to add that it is the eastern states that are having the floods.Not the whole of Australia.
The Riverland, in south east South Australia is also on flood alert.The Murray River, which empties into the sea in South Australia is being fed by these floods.And they are expecting torrential rains in the next few days.
Parts of Tasmania was also put on flash flood alert.
The areas affected by the Queensland floods are greater then France and Germany combined.

4 comments

by meganne 12 Jan 2011

Thanks Ricky, I DID say Queensland and posted the maps to show where it is.

I made the comparison only with the USA because I have no first hand experience of Europe.
I will upload a comparison map of Australia and Europe.
Hugs n roses, Meganne

by mpo14011 12 Jan 2011

I know you did Megs. But I got the impression from some of the comments made by the others that the whole of Australia was flooded.I have had e-mails from people asking me if we are threatened by the floods.Just reinforcing what you said.
I think some people just had no idea how really huge this land is. By some of the questions I have had in private e-mails, Australia is the capital of Sydney, and Sydney IS Australia.Know what I mean?

by meganne 12 Jan 2011

Yes, I do know what you mean, had the same sort of comments and questions.
It helps when you have visited other countries as it really puts things into perspective.
HNR, M

by fannyfurkin 12 Jan 2011

Also while we are dealing with massive floods in East our fellow Aussies are fighting bushfires in the west. This is a land of extremes.

Thanks Meg It is really shocking to see how large the are is. I only get pictures in the news but know the devastation is vast. My heart goes out to any and all cuties who may be affected by this. Many hugs Lisa.

Thanks for writing this Meganne.

Oh my God....Meganne your maps have just shown me how big this disaster is. I really hadnt realised. My heart goes out to all those people affected.

1 comment

by meganne 12 Jan 2011

Thousands of homes have been flooded.

One whole township, Grantham, was totally destroyed in a matter of hours and police are now searching through the wreckage for (I choke on this word) bodies.

The true numbers won't be known until the flood-waters recede and who knows how long this will take.
HNR, M

This is great Meg, it will show our overseas friends how big Australia is and what a devastating thing has happened. Love and blessings Chris

The first map shows the size comparison between Australia and the USA.

The second maps shows the Australian States.

Queensland is top right and the floods are affecting approximately 70% of the state. I won't go into statistics because it is changing by the minute.

The capital of Queensland, Brisbane, is now flooded and the worst part is that they are expecting the peak of the flood-waters to arrive around 4 Am Thursday morning.

Flood waters are now coursing their way down into Northern NSW and several towns are already under water.

This is a disaster of Biblical proportions and it will have long lasting effects as all the farmland/crops and thousands of businesses are lost.

Someone wrote to me comparing this disaster with Katrina, and, not to sell it Katrina's disaster short, well I have been to New Orleans and there is just no comparison. New Orleans is a city, Brisbane is a State and if you look at the maps it will be obvious how large that State is.
Australia is almost as large as the USA, but we are only dividing into 5 mainland states and 1 territory, compared to the USA's 50? mainland States.

The damage here extends farther than anyone could have conceived possible and as the flood-waters travel south many more towns will go under.

Try and imagine an area from Boston down through New York, out to Pittsburgh, heading down the centre down towards New Orleans and you may get some idea of what Australians are facing right now.

We have, what is called The Great Dividing Range, which is a mountain range running down the coastline, around a 70 miles inland from the east coast and only this will prevent the flood-waters from coming out toward the coast to damage the most populated areas of NSW. I don't pretend to understand how this happens because Brisbane is on the coast, and I'm sorry but I couldn't find a flood map showing how the flood-waters run through Australia but the third map is a geographic map.

Remember, the flooding started further north of Brisbane at Bundaburg and Emerald.

I hope this helps other Cuties to understand the full extent of the devastating flooding.

I just can't stop crying when I see the footage.

3 images:[1]
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4 comments

by pennifold 12 Jan 2011

Meg you've said in the paragraph about Katrina that "Brisbane is a State"- I think you meant to say that Queensland is a State (Brisbane is the capital). Love Chris

by beatie58 12 Jan 2011

In Brisbane today we have had king tides (larger than normal tides)and they also released water from Wivenhoe Dam up stream,(as much water as is in Sydney harbour). So the water from the king tide is pushing up the river and the water released is trying to get out to sea plus the water that has come down from the Bremer river in Ipswich and from the Toowoomba disaster hence the Brisbane river breaking its banks and the huge flood, hope I have explained that correctly. Also Brisbane has had 4 days of torrential rain which has not helped.

by meganne 12 Jan 2011

Yeah sorry about that, I had just finished watching the news reports on Brisbane, must have been totally on my mind. Thanks for correcting me Chris.
HNR, Meg

by fannyfurkin 12 Jan 2011

Meg despite your little slip about Brisbane being a state this is an excellent explanation of what is going on here. I am pleased to hear I am not the only one bursting into tears when I watch the news.