Latest updates: Queensland floods

That concludes our live coverage for today. Check back tomorrow for the latest, and thanks for following along.

5.50pm
The West Australian government will send emergency services personnel to flood ravaged Queensland to help with the search and rescue operations.

Four highly trained urban search and rescue technicians will join a team made up of personnel from other states to carry out building assessments and other tasks.

The personnel from WA's Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) could also be required to rescue people trapped by buildings, landfall or slippage as a result of the flood.

5.35pm
Brisbane's iconic XXXX Brewery may be under water, but staff assure Queenslanders they won't let the state run dry.

The brewery, at Milton in inner-city Brisbane, closed its doors on Tuesday evening after workers rushed to move expensive equipment and raw ingredients to the factory's upper level.

A short time later floodwater rushed into the building.

Some cartons of beer were damaged and would have to be destroyed but the majority of stock remains untouched.

Supply should resume to non-flood affected areas in the next few days.


5.22pm
The Balonne Shire council is urging Dirranbandi residents to boil cooking and drinking water.

The mix of river and bore water in the water supply system has been altered and this is a temporary measure.

The Shire of Balonne is in Queensland on the New South Wales border.

5.10pm
Queensland Police are forming a taskforce for Operation Safeguard. This will consist of 200 police officers - 100 from Queensland and 100 from NSW/Vic/SA - who will patrol flood-affected areas 24 hours a day to ensure property is safe.

Authorities say there has been very little looting and nobody else has been charged since three people were charged yesterday.

5.03pm
Energex estimates that more than 105,000 households are still without power.

The worst affected areas are Ipswich, Brisbane south and Brisbane west.

Check their website for updates on outages.

4.44pm
Ipswich's Riverlink shopping centre has re-opened after suffering extensive flooding.

Stores which have confirmed they will open include Woolies, Coles, Aldi and Target, according to the Queensland Times.

Meanwhile, police have received reports of traffic chaos as sightseers drive into the CBD.

The David Trumpy Bridge is under heavy traffic and police have asked the public to remain out of the area unless it is absolutely necessary.

"Although officials have advised that waters should be receding over the next few days, this does not mean the community can become complacent about its safety," a police spokesman said.

"Sightseers are endangering themselves and have the potential to hamper emergency service workers who are busy performing urgent tasks."

4.40pm
The official death toll has risen to 15 after the discovery of a man's body in Myall Creek near Dalby.

61 people remain missing.

More than 200 people are now involved in searching the entire Lockyer Valley.

4.30pm
A man has had an extraordinary escape after residents happened to hear his screams for help from the roaring Logan River, south of Brisbane.

Officers of a dog squad used a long leash to pull the man to safety after residents in an estate at Cornubia, which backs onto the Logan River, heard his cries.

Senior Constable David Sampson risked his own life to rescue the 48-year-old, who was located in the fast-flowing, debris strewn river after a 50-minute search.

"We were running along the riverbank calling out and we heard a faint cry for help," Snr Const Sampson said.

"I was able to shine my torch out and we spotted him hanging onto something. I had brought my tracking dog lead with me which is about 20 metres long. I threw it out and the man was able to hold onto it until he was pulled ashore.

"If he was further out I don't know how we could have reached him.''

Snr Const Sampson said he didn't know how long the man had been in the water but he was extremely exhausted and was unable to talk for some time after he was rescued.

4.21pm
Police have released the following information after the hotline began receiving queries from people wishing to recover property seen on news reports floating down the Brisbane River.

* Police are not currently allocating resources to the recovery of property from the Brisbane River, Port of Brisbane or other areas.

* For safety reasons larger items of property are being corralled, where possible, near the Port of Brisbane.

* When commenced, the recovery effort will be undertaken in conjunction with Maritime Safety Qld.

4.15pm
Kilcoy, west of Caboolture, remains isolated today and police are urging local and surrounding residents to remain calm and patient.

Roads east and west of the town remain cut and residents should conserve food and water.

"Fuel supplies are also limited so I would encourage people to remain at home and not travel by road unless absolutely necessary," said Senior Sergeant David Crawford-Raby.

He said doctors continued to work at the hospital and that emergency accommodation and food supplies were available at the Kilcoy Community Hall. Centrelink payments are also available through the recovery centre.

Efforts are underway to ensure people in isolated areas receive ongoing assistance. Food and medical supplies will be dropped into the isolated communities of Sandy Creek, Mount Kilcoy, Villeneuve and Cedarvale.

4.11pm
Brisbane residents in flood-affected areas have been asked to secure their rubbish bins and not to leave them out for collection. They will be advised when it is safe to recommence services.

Rubbish collection services in other areas are limited.

All Brisbane City Council transfer stations are open to the public for free tipping from 6.30am-9pm until further notice, but people should consider whether they really need to travel to one.

4.06pm
An Ipswich man has reported a shark sighting in the suburb of Goodna.

He saw the shark swimming around local shops this morning, the Brisbane Times reported.

There were similar reports yesterday but none were confirmed by police.

3.45pm
Members of the public pitching in to assist with the clean-up process around Brisbane are being urged to exercise caution.

The waters contain large items including furniture, housing materials and garden equipment and potentially hazardous materials including sharp objects and chemicals.

A large volume of debris is also currently washing up on foreshores around Moreton Bay. There are also reports of snakes and deceased animals.

Any items salvaged from the floods will be displayed for people to identify and collect later.

People experiencing personal hardship due to the flooding can call 1800 173 349.

Evacuation centres are not equipped to accept donations of goods. Financial donations can be made here.

3.30pm
A group of international tennis stars will gather at Melbourne Park on Sunday to launch Rally For Relief in aid of the Queensland flood appeal.

Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters are among the tennis celebrities to commit, the Herald Sun reported..

Tickets will be available from Ticketek and the Melbourne Park and Federation Square box offices.

3.26pm
Trains are now running in Brisbane hourly on Caboolture, Shorncliffe and the Ferny Grove lines.

The Airport line is running half-hourly.

Gold Coast trains are running between Varsity Lakes - Kingston.

The Cleveland line will run to Roma St - Murrarie only and on the Beenleigh/Gold Coast lines trains are only travelling south to Yeerongpilly.

The Ipswich line remains closed.

2.55pm
Plans are underway to send a second Civil Defence response team to Queensland.

Emergency Management director John Hamilton says the second team should be ready by the middle of next week, depending on availability of flights and emergency response requirements in Queensland.

The 15-member team currently in Queensland is in Miles but has been isolated by flood waters.

They are due to return to New Zealand on January 22.

Mr Hamilton said the second team is likely to be deployed to a different area given the difficulty moving around the state because of road closures.

2.51pm
Train services are resuming in parts of Brisbane and police are warning people not to walk on the tracks.

They are also reminding residents in Gladstone to remain calm and to rest assured that food supply lines are being kept open.

Inspector Marcus Hill, the District Disaster Co-ordinator, said: "We have been working closely with local retailers to ensure that essential food, such as milk and bread, is getting through.

"There may be some shortages in the region over the next 12-24 hours but we have supplies coming in by road from Gympie and food is being flown in to Bundaberg."

2.46pm
Police say the Island (the barge moored in West End) does not yet need to be scuttled. It will be moved downstream as soon as possible.

An extra anchor was brought in overnight and attached to the Moggill ferry this morning, and it is now considered stable.

Authorities yesterday were considering sinking it to avoid any potential accidents.

Premier Bligh has reiterated that the Wivenhoe dam is completely secure.

2.41pm
A 24-year-old man in the Brisbane suburb of Durack died in floodwaters this morning while checking his father's property, bringing the death toll to 14.

Premier Anna Bligh made the announcement at a press conference this afternoon.

The number of missing people is 70.

Meanwhile, a child who went missing earlier in West End has been found safe and well, Queensland police say.

Premier Bligh and police have issued a reminder to the public to obey road closure signs and stay safe.

2.30pm
A cyclone is brewing off the coast of north Queensland and could be fully formed within 12 hours.

The Townsville weather bureau says it is not expected to come closer to the coast, but it will continue to monitor the system.

2.28pm
It could be days before power is restored to Brisbane's CBD, according to Energex.

A spokesman told the Brisbane Times workers would begin inspecting equipment in the area today but depending on the extent of the damage those in the worst-affected areas could wait weeks.

Meanwhile, those without power have been warned to be cautious if using generators and not to use electrical appliances that have been in contact with water until they have been checked by a licensed electrician.

Returning residents should treat their houses as electrically "live" until checked by an electrician.

Police and Maritime Safety say nobody should be on or in the river or creeks without good reason. Floodwaters should be considered "live" also.

2.23pm
Queensland State Emergency Services Minister Neil Robert says the Brisbane River is going to peak again around the level of this morning's high tide at 4pm (7pm NZT).

"Hopefully it will not go any higher," he told ABC Radio.

2.10pm
Travellers affected floods can use the Virgin Blue website to change their flights for free.

They can also use their Velocity points to donate to the relief efforts.

2.03pm
Queensland police say 11,900 homes are inundated in Brisbane, and another 14,799 partially flooded. Around 5000 businesses are flooded or affected by the floodwaters.

Meanwhile, river levels in Brisbane and Ipswich are continuing to drop, Bureau of Meteorology figures show.

The Brisbane River reached a peak of 4.46m at the city gauge at 2.57am (5.57am NZT) but has since dropped to 4m.

The Bremer River at Ipswich peaked yesterday afternoon, reaching 19.40m at 12.59pm (2.59pm). As of 10.04am (1.04pm NZT) the river is at 16.3m.

2pm
The flood-devastated Lockyer Valley is running out of drinking water as authorities continue the search for missing residents.

Lockyer Valley Council chief executive Ian Flint described the region as a disaster zone.

"Our water supply has been severely damaged so we ask residents to please conserve water for absolute essentials. We're getting tanked water, bottled water delivered this morning to alleviate the situation, but we're really facing running out of water," he said.

Authorities have advised Withcott has already run out of water, with Helidon, Gatton and Laidley also about to run dry.

They are also working to restore power and the communications network, with most lines expected to be up and running on Thursday.

Police are urging those people who have been cut off to contact them urgently once phone lines are restored.

1.54pm
Consumers are being reminded to thoroughly check the legitimacy of charities when donating to flood victims.

Those wishing to help should visit the Queensland Premier's website for information on how to make a donation.

You can report scams here.

1.41pm
A database has been set up to assist people in Queensland who are without a bed or to find a place to stay.

Click here to sign up and create a listing, whether you have a spare bed or need somewhere to lay your head.

1.38pm
A police-escorted convoy of supplies is to make its way into Dalby at 12pm (2pm NZT) as the region braces itself for more flooding in the coming days.

Dalby Regional Council Ray Brown told ABC Radio six towns in the region have been flooded in the past week and river levels are set to rise again.

"It's distressing for communities that have to do it again," he said.

"Certainly we're grateful we've not a fatality related to flooding."

Mr Brown said 200 roads in the area are closed, making assisting the communities difficult.

In Dalby, the Myall Creek has flooded five times in recent weeks, twice severely.

Condamine is a "ghost town", Mr Brown said, with the Condamine River set to rise again on Saturday to 10.5m.

In Chinchilla, the Condamine is still around 7m and access to the town is limited, hampering supplies. Mr Brown said fuel is being rationed in the town and there have been issues with the town's water supply, with cases of e-coli.

There have also been homes flooded in Warra and Jandowae.

"We can replace and rebuild, but we can't replace people," he said. "We will get through this, we can rebuild. No problem."

1.35pm
Brisbane City Council has warned people not to be alarmed if they see two coffins floating down the river.

It says they are Halloween party props, with one holding a mannequin.

The council said on Twitter that the coffins had washed away from a resident's deck.

1.28pm
The recovery effort will be a slow and complex process, with volunteers required to help in the weeks and months to come.

If you're keen to register your interest, you can do so here.

Volunteering Qld maintains continual contact with key disaster management agencies and will notify registered volunteers as new opportunities to help become available.

1.05pm
Water control authorities are continuing to make controlled releases of 215,000 megalitres a day from the Wivenhoe Dam, west of Brisbane.
The amount of water being dumped from the dam has dropped from a peak of 654,000 megalitres earlier in the week, and will be increased to 301,000 megalitres per day when the Brisbane River starts to drop.
Authorities say this increase is unlikely to cause a second significant rise in the river.

1pm
Queensland premier Anna Bligh has confirmed that the official death toll in the floods has risen to 13, with the discovery of a body in a field near the town of Grantham.

12.40pm
All of the 12 confirmed deaths in this week's floods were in the Lockyer Valley and the nearby cities of Toowoomba and Ipswich. The body of a man found in a car at Ipswich on Wednesday is not yet being included in the official count.

12.10pm
Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has made a private donation to help relief efforts during the floods in Australia.
The palace said in a statement that the funds will go to the Premier of Queensland's flood relief appeal. It did not say how much the donation was.
The queen said last month in a statement that she has been following the news of the floods in Brisbane with great concern, and extended her sympathies to all affected.
Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard earlier Wednesday by phone to express his sympathy on behalf of the British people.

11.45am
Over A$32 million has already been donated to Queensland Flood Relief. The damage caused by the floods is expected to reach "hundreds of millions" of dollars. A page with all sorts of info on how to donate can be found here.

11.40am
Bundaberg residents hit by floods just after Christmas are bracing themselves as the Burnett River rises again.
At 6am (9am NZT) the Burnett river was at 5.25m and rising slowly.
Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch said it was not expected any homes would be evacuated.

11.05am
BY THE NUMBERS: The Brisbane City Council is estimating that just under 12,000 homes have been invaded by floodwaters. About 5000 businesses have also been affected. Across southeast Queensland, 116,000 homes remain without power.

10.40am
Defence Minister Stephen Smith says troops will be steeling themselves for "terrible outcomes" as they move into the flood-devastated Lockyer Valley in Queensland.
The federal government will today announce the deployment of more defence assets into the area. (AAP)

10.10am
Harrowing tales of survival and loss emerging from one of the towns badly affected by a torrent of floodwaters yesterday, Grantham. Reported in the Queensland Times.

10.05am
Queensland is not the only Australian state battling flood waters.
There have been 54 flood rescues in northern New South Wales so far.
The Clarence River peaked at 7.6m at Grafton and is falling, but people in the region are asked to remain vigilant. A severe weather warning is in place for the west of the state, particularly around Broken Hill, where heavy rain is forecast.
Flash floods struck small towns near Bendigo, in Victoria, with flood warnings in place for the Avoca, Loddon, Wimmera and Campaspe rivers, the Seven and Castle creeks, and rural areas along the Murray River.

9.55am
Marine scientists are saying that the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, may be under threat from the muddy gunk spewing out of river mouths on Australia's east coast as the floodwaters carry debris out to sea.

9.30am
Disasters can bring out the best in people - and the worst. Police have charged three men with looting following two incidents near Brisbane Airport yesterday afternoon, the Gladstone Observer reported today.
Police found a 67-year-old man allegedly used his vehicle to drag a pontoon to the river bank to retrieve a dinghy.
And about an hour later police found two men, aged 19 and 20, allegedly attempting to steal a 10-foot dinghy from the Brisbane River near Marina Street.

9.12am
Brisbane City Council estimates 15,268 residential and commercial properties were affected when the Brisbane River peaked at 4.46m this morning.
The areas most affected by flooding in the city are the CBD, St Lucia, West End, Rocklea and Graceville.

9.10am
Flooding around Brisbane has closed more than 150 roads, the city council says.
Eight bus services will begin this morning and run every 30 minutes in and out of the city.
The council said the services are being put on to transport people whose work is essential for services and flood response, with all other residents encouraged not to travel into the CBD.
Ferry services are not operating due to dangerous river conditions.

9.05am
Brisbane City Council says 700 people are now staying at the evacuation centre at the RNA Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, while 325 people have self evacuated to the centre at QEII, Nathan.
These centres can accommodate another 2,600 people if required.
Authorities recommend residents of affected areas stay with friends or families if possible.

8.55am
Toowoomba Chronicle reporter Adam Davies has shared his experience of being one of the first reporters to fly into the devastated town of Grantham in the Lockyer Valley.
"The sight of 13-year-old Evan Richardson, sitting on the railway tracks sobbing as he recalled his best mate being swept away, will haunt me forever," he wrote.

8.35am
Queensland police are advising that the Brisbane River has now reached its peak at 4.46m. Water levels will remain high for the rest of the day, they said.
Current predictions indicate that floodwaters will slowly recede over the weekend.

8.25am
Brisbane Airport has remained open throughout the flooding.
The international and domestic terminals, runways, taxiways, carparks and roads are all clear of water and operating, the Brisbane Airport Corporation said in a statement this morning.
Public transport to and from Brisbane Airport is available but limited.

8.15am
There are fears rescuers will find a mass underwater grave in Grantham, in the Lockyer Valley, the Herald Sun is reporting.
Beneath a railway bridge in the town, up to 30 crumbled cars lie piled up after being washed down stream.
"You'd have to think with 30-odd cars here, we're about to find some pretty unpleasant things," a police officer told the Herald Sun.
Three people from the small community - of only around 300 people - have been confirmed dead, but with 43 people reported missing locals know the death toll is to rise.

8.00am
The Brisbane River was near its peak at 4.46m at the city gauge at 4am (7am NZT), exactly a metre below the flood levels of a 1974 flood which killed 14, and well below the 5.5m that was yesterday anticipated for this morning.
The Bremer River at Ipswich was flowing at 17.7m, after peaking at 19.40m yesterday afternoon.

7.55am
If you want to see how you can donate to victims of the Queensland floods, here is the link to Queensland Flood Relief.

7.40am
The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane has just been closed, police report, due to concerns about debris flowing down the Brisbane River.
ABC Radio reported a 300m-long section of the Riverway Walkway had come down the river earlier this morning and there are reports of more of the walkway drifting down the swelling river.

7.30am
Relief! Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Brett Harrison said there were no more heavy showers expected in the south east of Queensland today or for the rest of the week.
Light showers will continue for the rest of the week, he said.
From Monday there is a chance of moderate to heavy falls inland as another trough comes in from the east. Moderate to heavy rainfalls are also possible over the weekend in the far north of the state.

7.15am
More 115,000 homes in Queensland are without power this morning, service company Energex says.
Around 78,000 of those properties are in Brisbane, where Energex turned power off from yesterday afternoon, and another 30,000 are in the Ipswich area, where power was cut off on Tuesday night.
Altogether 122,722 properties have had power cut off, with Energex managing to restore power for 7070 off those.

7.00am
ABC reporter Matt Wordsworth told ABC Radio the Australia army has been door knocking in the Brisbane suburbs overnight doing welfare checks and warning people about the rising waters.
He said one resident in Yeronga was not leaving his home after hearing about looters in the suburb.
Mr Wordsworth said he had worked in Brisbane's West End for many years but had never seen the river like this.