2011 flood

Although smaller than the 1974 flood, the 2011 flood caused more damage due to urban development on the floodplain. The river peaked at 4.46 metres in Brisbane City on the 13 January. The floods were widespread, affecting over 2.5 million people and declaring 78% of Queensland a disaster zone. In Brisbane, one person died and the Brisbane City Council paid $440 million in damages. In Kurilpa, approximately 2,132 residences in 21 streets were affected. The 2011 floods were largely framed as an error in dam management, dispelling questions about urban development.

Mary Maher, Pam Bourke, Helen Abrahams & Joe Hurley (2011) Why ‘community infrastructure’ needs hard funding: case study of designing flood responses in West End 2011

Margaret Cook (2018) “It Will Never Happen Again”: The Myth of Flood Immunity in Brisbane” Journal of Australian Studies

Image: Intersection of Melbourne and Grey Street, Brisbane, 2011. Courtesy: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.