Telstra evacuates 2000 in Brisbane, services strained
- — 12 January, 2011 09:14
Up to 2000 Telstra employees are among those who have evacuated Brisbane's CBD after floodwaters spilled into the city.
The Tuesday afternoon exodus has pushed workers into their suburban homes where rising river levels are also threatening more than 30 communities in the Brisbane area.
Telstra spokeswoman Elouise Campion was among the evacuees who left the company's headquarters in George Street, close to the banks of the swelling Brisbane River.
"It's just a mass exodus from the Brisbane CBD," Ms Campion said from her home in Brisbane's north.
"It's actually scary - it's not something I've seen here.
"We could see the river beginning to burst its banks and onto a garden area."
Her husband also left work and rushed to their local supermarket which was inundated by shoppers stocking up on supplies.
"There's no bread, there's no D batteries and the local Coles is packed," Ms Campion said.
Working for a telecommunications company, she said most Telstra employees have wireless internet access and will be able to work remotely if required to avoid the city on Wednesday.
Telstra has experienced congestion on its mobile network, Ms Campion said, and a number of mobile base stations in flood-stricken areas of Queensland are without power.
At Toowoomba and Darling Downs, overnight flooding has badly damaged Telstra equipment and mobile activity is at a peak.
The communities of Grantham and Withcott are without landline or mobile access and Murphys Creek and Westbrook are without ADSL access.
Residents of Helidon, Gatton, Withcott and Murphys Creek and surrounding areas are also experiencing problems with landlines.
Telstra crews are working to restore services but the floods have cut off roads, isolated communities and brought the threat of crocodiles, snakes and dengue fever to areas across the state.
"It's not just the floodwaters but it's the road blockages," Ms Campion said.
Virgin Blue employees evacuated the company's Brisbane headquarters to an alternate location but operations will continue as normal, the airline said in a statement.
