With AGW you will get it both ways, prolonged drought and More intense rain. What would make you think it would only go one way. Look at the type of climate england & america is having. If that is not a shift in climate, what else do you call it.
Instead of a one in 100 yr event, we better make it one in 15 yr event.
Unless you have empty dams, they are useless in avoiding a flood.

It seems I'm in grand company as I suppose being insulted as a goole expert ranks higher than biblical creationist, freemarketeer, cake eater, not of a prodigious intellect, a fake clairvoyant, 'a middle class wannabe's getting (my) their panties in a twist' BUT most of all not a green voter.

Kenny don't you ever have a positive to say about anyone who doesn't share your views?

Two different weather fronts caused weeks of rain for those QLD towns followed by the heavy rains that La Nina produced.

Similar to bushfires started with the 'right conditions' and many natural disasters; no-one can predict the eventual outcomes. Hail is not always easy to predict other than the white developments and sudden drop in temperatures just prior to the drop.

I follow weatherzone and the BOM live satellites and radars for indications on the day, when planning a trip or outdoors event, and have picked up on the fact over the years, that variations in weather patterns previously likely to occur, can change direction within a short period of time, and include other towns or places or not occur at all.

Until rains and storms commence, it is only fair to be honest and acknowledge, that no-one ever knows what the potential consequences will be to pre-soaked or saturated rivers, creeks and dams unless community volunteers agree to keep a close eye on these during La Nina events, Lows, Troughs, and other publicised weather events, some lasting weeks and months.

However, many communities receive no prior warning of the extent of mother nature's outcomes that may result from Troughs, Lows, La Nina and El Nino.

An example of the point raised above.

During droughts I have witnessed incredible weather rarities on properties such as tornadoes, mini tornadoes, hail storms, heavy rains over certain properties, high humidity in one or two certain areas, none of which were indicated on live satellites.

On certain sections of a couple of highways regularly travelled over many years, storm clouds and hail clouds are situated over certain grazing properties at certain times of the year. The heavy rain and hail drop only over these couple of properties and that particular section of the highway, located 300 ks from one another. This event has continued a few times during winter droughts, and on a couple of occasions during the summer months [also during droughts].

Nothing on satellites or radars have ever indicated the buildup.

The Wivenhoe Dam did precious little to help? Really?

It is still sitting (or was this morning) at 186% capacity. That's 100% of water storage for use, and 86% of flood mitigation water. That's a lot of water that hasn't yet travelled downstream, thanks to the dam. According to various spokespeople from various authorities in the media, at the time Brisbane and Ipswich started sandbagging there was two thirds more water travelling into the dam than was travelling downstream in the '74 floods. The dam managed to slow and add some control to that water flow.

As for greedy developers, it must be remembered that flood maps and models are readily available to people buying land. My own parents had to jump through all sorts of hoops to prepare their land (a possible run-off path during heavy rain) before council would let them build. I do find it absurd that people would invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in their McMansions without investigating the potential hazards.

"I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains."
-Dorothea Mackellar

We should help out when folk need help. We should count our blessings - recent flooding in Brazil has killed over 200 people, somewhat higher than our own death toll. And we should stop looking to lay blame - nobody could have predicted this without 20/20 hindsight, and no amount of solar panels and hybrid cars would have prevented it. It's a national disaster and you're squabbling like children. How sad.

I still love this sunburnt country, even when it is a complete prick. And despite the devastation they cause, I wouldn't trade her droughts and flooding rains for all the tea in China. Her beauty and her terror - the wide brown land for me.

Ah yes, right on cue.

As the elation of community support and stories of individual courage and survival - Phase 1 - peaks, we begin the inevitable Phase 2 - recrimination and blame.

Next will come anger at all levels of government, land developers, greedy contractors and other profiteers who will drive up building costs nationally, inflation and finally, the effect on interest rates.