Author(s): Amanda Gearing

History

Of all the extraordinary stories to emerge from the catastrophic Queensland floods of January 2011, the most starkly tragic and dramatic were those that came out of Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. An 'inland tsunami' hit the area on January 10, 2011 with extraordinary force, almost no warning and disastrous results. Official figures state that 24 people died. Three of these people are still missing. Hundreds of people's lives were threatened by the flash flooding in Toowoomba, Spring Bluff, Murphy's Creek, Withcott, Helidon, Postman's Ridge and Grantham. Many people escaped death only because they were rescued by members of the public. The Torrent tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of survival and loss that emerged from the disaster. Based on interviews with every survivor of the floods, including Grantham and Murphy's Creek, where the most violent and dramatic events took place, The Torrent is a unique and powerful account of the devastating power of nature and the enduring resilience of the human spirit.