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Upstream, upwards of 35 suburbs already suffered inundation, some homes to the second floor. Up to 50 suburbs were said to be at risk of flooding. In the city, the river itself became a battering ram with boats, docks and other rubble dealing hammer blows to ferry terminals and other infrastructure. The mayor said that 2,100 Brisbane streets were affected. More than 113,000 homes were blacked out by power cuts as residents stripped supermarket shelves bare ahead of unknown days of isolation. A key factor in the flooding has been the Wivenhoe Dam on the upper reaches of the Brisbane River, built following the 1974 flood disaster. The dam has been under great pressure following upwards of 20 inches (50 cm) of rain at the lake within three days. As a result, water releases were needed even in the face of extreme runoff. However, the state Premier on Wednesday suggested that careful timing of water releases may have spared the city a record-breaking flood crest. She indicated that the volume of water flowing through the Brisbane River catch basin was actually twice that of the 1974 flood, and that it was "a 100-year event or more". Rainfall reached 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) within three days. http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/44287/australia-flood-catastrophe-sw-1.asp Thanks to Tom McHart for this link
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