Thursday, January 13, 2011

Sharks in the streets of Brisbane


I doubt if there are sharks in the streets of Brisbane...but: The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as Zambezi shark or unofficially known as Zambi in Africa and Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a shark common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers. The bull shark is well known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior. Since bull sharks often dwell in shallow waters, they may be more dangerous to humans than any other species of shark, and, along with tiger sharks and great white sharks, are among the three shark species most likely to attack humans.

News.Scotsman.com: Sharks in the streets of Brisbane
The flood-ravaged Australian state of Queensland is in the grip of a "very serious natural disaster", its leaders told the world yesterday - with reports of bull sharks now inhabiting its flooded streets.

The state capital of Brisbane is facing its worst devastation in more than 100 years as high tides and heavy rain combine to leave some streets under 15ft of water.

Residents woke up to the worst of the devastation yesterday as emergency services battled to bring under control a situation which has already claimed 21 lives in Queensland.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the disaster's scale "mind-boggling" and warned that the death toll will rise.

Queensland's premier Anna Bligh warned: "We are now in the grip of a very serious natural disaster.

"We are now seeing thousands of homes inundated with water up to the roof. Many, many more are expected to see significant water damage."

She said 20,000 to 30,000 people would be affected in Brisbane.

Although the flood peak could be below the 1974 level, Ms Bligh added: "This is still a major event. The city is much bigger, much more populated and has many parts underwater."

Unprecedented rainfall over much of the north-east Australian state has already devastated scores of towns and cities.

The surging waters in Brisbane's empty city centre reached the tops of traffic lights and have left at least 20,000 homes in danger of being inundated.


A little about Brisbane:
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has an approximate population of 2 million. A resident of Brisbane is commonly known as a "Brisbanite.

Brisbane as it was before the flooding:

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