Residents of Brisbane Wednesday faced massive flooding when the Brisbane River overflowed its bank as a result of rain and runoff.  This forced the release of huge amounts of water from the Wivenhoe Dam which was designed to shield the city from storms.

The overflowing Brisbane River was expected to affect at least 40,000 properties as the water released from the dam rushed down the city at a rate of 7,000 cubic meters per second. The dam that was built late 1970s was overwhelmed by the surging water from the northern hinterlands. The water was let out to avoid its collapse.

Authorities still could not predict how high the water would rise in the capital city of Queensland. But, they are expecting the peak to go beyond the records as of Thursday mid-afternooon.

A flash flood that surged through the central shopping area in the town of Toowoomba last Monday caused the official death toll to increase to 14. Unofficial reports say the number were as high as 30. Ninety people were still missing in the community.

Almost 6 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes in the town of Toowoomba on Monday that caused the Lockyer Creek to overflow its banks. A wave of water rushed through the town that swept away cars, trees, buildings and dozens of people.

A man told ABC Television that it was like a wall of water that smashed about seven or eight cars. The last thing he saw was it was rushing down the creek with waves going up and down.

While weather conditions remain uncertain, 75 percent of the eastern state of Australia has been declared as a disaster area and fears continue to increase.