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Flood Waters Recede in Brisbane

A Texas-sized stretch of Queensland is battling violent, muddy floods that have left at least 16 dead. Ted Jefferies reports on the horror stories—and heroes—that are emerging from the disaster.

Published Jan. 14 2011 11:51AM EST

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---piano_cba1f4 — Tim Wimborne / Reuters

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---piano_duisp8 — The mud-covered friends of Andrew Taylor, second from right, posed around a destroyed piano as they helped his family clean their house after flood waters receded in the Brisbane, Australia, suburb of West End.
Tim Wimborne / Reuters

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---family_aplpcz — Volunteers walked past a home being cleaned after flood waters receded in Brisbane on Jan. 14.
Jonathan Wood / Getty Images

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---river_ntuz0c — The Brisbane River broke its banks to flood residential areas west of Brisbane on Jan. 13.
Tim Wimborne / Reuters

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---stop_xyw1cz — A man paddled his surfboard down Hoogley Street in the Brisbane suburb of West End on Jan. 13.
Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---homes_rdeheh — An entire suburb was submerged outside Ipswich, west of Brisbane, on Jan. 12.
AP Photo

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---surfer_gxaxm7 — A local resident walks with his surfboard past flooded shops in Brisbane on Jan. 12.
Tim Wimborne / Reuters

galleries/2011/01/14/flood-waters-recede-in-brisbane/australia-floods---man_yjn7sp — Streets were inundated with water from Myall Creek on Jan. 12 in Dalby, Australia.
Dan Proud Photography / Getty Images

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