BRISBANE City ground to a halt with more than 980 schools shut today and millions of people forced to work from home after three days of torrential rain.
Authorities estimate up to 15,000 properties could be affected by flood waters as the Brisbane River reached its likely peak on Monday morning, inundating low-lying areas across the city.
Eight people have died in flood waters since last week and three are still missing.
Parish staff in low-lying and flood-prone Church properties are surveying the damage after a break in the rain this morning.
With many parish and school offices forced to close, it would still be some time before the full extent of the damage was realised.
South Brisbane ministries like Emmanuel City Mission, a shelter for Brisbane’s homeless and vulnerable people, have been forced to close its doors due to flood damage.
An ECM spokesperson said the closures of walkways and roads around South Brisbane and West End meant many staff were unable to make their way to the shelter.
Footage posted to the Ambrose Treacy College Facebook page showed an aerial view of the Indooroopilly campus surrounded by floodwaters.
Indooroopilly parish priest Fr Michael Grace said Holy Family Church and parish buildings were all in good condition.
He said some of the roads around the parish had been cut but Masses had been able to run as normal.
In Brisbane’s CBD, Eagle Street had flooded and blocked the road into St Stephen’s Cathedral carpark.
The cathedral ran on a limited Mass schedule today.
Australian Catholic University was set to welcome its students back for the first day of the academic calendar but due to flooding, the Banyo campus was closed and students were directed to online learning.
Both University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology were shut today and would not re-open until Wednesday.
At Acacia Ridge, Fr Lam Vu said Our Lady of Fatima church had some leaks in the roof but the damage was well contained.
In Loganholme, Fr Richard Tomelty said the church had not suffered any damage.
Despite warnings in Canungra of imminent flooding, the Pauline Fathers at Marian Valley had not experienced any significant flooding.
Pauline Father Albert Wasniowski said none of the shrines had been damaged.
South of the border, Lismore diocese posted a photo showing St Carthage’s Cathedral with water half-way up the front door.
The diocese post said, “No words to describe how our community is feeling”.
St Carthage’s Primary School, Trinity Catholic College, Presentation House and Doyle House were all heavily affected by the floods, the diocese reported.
Northern New South Wales has been inundated with water and there are more than 200 requests for SES.
Wilsons River in Lismore was two metres higher than its historic peak, NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke reported.
The river is sitting at 14.36 metres and rising, which smashed the 1954 record of 12.17 metres.
