BRISBANE, Australia — Residents of Australia’s third-largest city woke today to find their community submerged in muddy water after floodwaters pouring through streets reached their crest.
Thousands of homes were filled with water, and many areas were without electricity.
In one spot of bright news, the swollen Brisbane River’s peak was about 3 feet lower than predicted, at a depth slightly below that of the 1974 floods that swept the city.
Still, waters in some areas had reached the tops of roofs, shut down roads and power and devastated entire neighborhoods. Mayor Campbell Newman said 11,900 homes and 2,500 businesses had been completely inundated, with another 14,700 houses and 2,500 businesses at least partially covered in water.
Since late November, flooding has killed 22 people, and at least 74 people are missing.
