I know that this is a surfer site but I have not seen any other area that I can pose this question. So please excuse me for being here but I am curious. Hurricane Katrina flooded the southern USA in August of 1995; 
why is / what is causing the flooding of Australia. I have searched the internet for "cause," the news reports that I have seen do not say specifically why the continent of Australia is flooding. Is it rising ocean water or rain storms.
My heart goes out to the people affected by this tragedy. I know first hand the loss associated with this kind of catastrophe. I can offer this: be kind to one another and patient with yourself. It will take time but you can and will recover from this. I hope that your government will be supportive of its people and offer aid to those who need assistance. God bless Australia.
Excessive water 
couldnt resist....
But in all seriousness, huge amounts of deforestation, modern agriculture techniques and global change. We have had a lot of flooding in the UK in recent years and one big reason that is often overlooked is that every time they cut down a tree becuase of 'council planning choices' they basically get rid of a sponge that soaks upto 40,000 litres of water.
Clearly there are weather differences that cause the initial flooding but the deforestation of the planet is causing localised flooding where in the past the trees/plantlife and rivers looked after it.
Its nothing like what you blokes are saying, being caused by rising sea levels or deforestation. The reason why we are getting floods is the amount of rain that is falling. Its been rainy in eastern Australia for about two years. The land is soaked. So any rain that falls now is not absorbed by the land.
We are not talking about built up land full of concrete driveways, houses and shopping centers. We are talking about millions of square kilometers of bush and farmland. The land is so flat out west that it doesn't take very much rain to cause a flood. Plus most people live close to watercourses as these are usually the best places to live.
The rainfall pattern is a normal climatic event for Australia and can be explained without having to resort to human induced climate change or other such theories.
A poem written about 100 years ago sums up the Australian environment pretty well:
www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive/mycountry.htm
northern australia has two seasons wet & dry its now the wet happens every year some years are wetter than others
La Nina -I think. A weather pattern that happens every so many years..I think the sea temperatures are warmer than normal in the areas around the top of Australia/ tropics and this causes more rain. We've had the opposite El Nino ( ?) for years - colder sea temps which gives us drought. This weather pattern has broken the decade long drought but unfortunately its a strong ones so its gone a bit overboard the other way..floods..
I heard on the internet that its due to the fact that Australians are all infidels and it was gods revenge for activities in the middle east.
But that may have been from a religious nut!!!
I highly suspect its actually a combination of these things....
Thousands of raging Infidels have been systemically deforresting poor La Nina and coaxing her into a almighty gushing climax on our doorsteps.....
spread the love I say.
recent "expert" was interviewed on the box.
he put the blame squarely on global warming ......
as the experts have been saying for a long time now. as the earth heats, more moisture occurs in the atmosphere, that then results in stronger storms, more intense rainfall, and more intense snowfall.
without kicking the old duck back to life that is.
Well of course it's our fault.
It always was.
It always will be.
Years ago we could just sacrifice a few virgins and that would fix the problem,.. whatever the problem was. Too wet. Too dry. Too hot. Too cold.
But now, due to a lack of virgins, we have to sacrifice something else.
The economy will do.
But just so it's clear to everyone,. IT'S YOUR FAULT!
I look at a flood as an inability of water to escape fast enough therefore causing a back up in the system, after all you can have lots of rain and not have a flood.
Central Queensland is particuarly prone to flooding as many smaller streams flow into larger rivers and high tides often prevent the water flowing out to sea quick enough - particularly around Rockhampton and especially Mackay. Looking at BOM charts it's quite a regular pattern after such a prelonged drought.
What I find interesting is how developers are allowed to build low set houses in low lying areas. Having lived in thesea areas for 10 years, I always noticed how so many older homes are built off the ground - usually around 1m-2m. Bad for people and the reef but great for lake Eyre and the Murry Darling system.
[see www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Show-Pony-Alert-Brighton-WA/ ]
[see www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Show-Pony-Alert-Brighton-WA/ ]
not to down play the tragic outcomes in your local area JP as there are some sad stories there.
but it's good to have wind. 
Suppose that 1 in 150 years flood will come every year from now?
( That is like lotto. If one set was drawn the probability is exactly the same for next draw.)
Now what we are going to do about that?
Blame green gases? Build the ark and more boats? Switch from agriculture and mining to fisheries?
or rather learn from other and build infrastructure.
Now open Google map and look at the globe.
Blue color over green stands for lakes and rivers. Compare that picture from Australia with Europe, US Canada or Asia.
Now we have got idea. One year we have flood next we have drought.
If some of that money wasted on flood insurance could be invested in artificial lakes and canals, the buffered water storage may last for few years and increase agricultural output.
US did that investment in infrastructure after Katrina hit, Chinese did before disaster strike building mega dam.
(Correlation between time civilization inhabit territory is striking)
