An overview of the Summer 2010/11 Flood.

Approximately 400 Central Queenslanders were evacuated to relief centres established at two CQUniversity campuses - Rockhampton and Emerald - due to catastrophic Central Queensland floods this week.

CQUniversity's Sports Complex becomes Rockhampton's Evacuation Centre.Managed and directed by the Red Cross, the centre at Rockhampton  -- housed at the Central Queensland Community Sport Centre - has accommodated (as of Friday) about 300 local residents and 30 animals and pets.

Home away from home for Rocky flood victims.CQUniversity Facilities Management and Information Technology Directorates have worked closely with emergency management officials and the Red Cross to have extra lavatory and shower services installed, television and communication services set-up  and office space opened-up. Capricornia College laundry facilities have also been made available to displaced Rockhampton residents.

"It will be some weeks before these centres wind-down operations. Until then we'll be extending every service and courtesy to the volunteers and residents who are temporarily making CQUniversity home," said CQUniversity Vice Chancellor Scott Bowman.

The Sport Centre is lined with cots, with areas cordoned-off for food services, entertainment and sport.

Media crews from around Australia and overseas visit the Evacuation Centre at CQUniversity.Because this is an emergency operation not managed or operated by the University, the University is instructing staff to contact the agencies directly by phone and not to populate the centres.

 "CQUniversity staff have been eager to help - but they need to talk to the Red Cross to see if and when they are needed," said Ron Tollasepp, Director of Facilities Management.

Staff at Emerald, who have been tending to their own personal circumstances and community crises, start returning to work today, Thursday. University rooms at the Agricultural College/CQUni Campus, closed for business since Tuesday, are accommodating about 60 residents.

Cameras pan the sleeping quarters at the Centre.Scores of Rockhampton staff stranded by the floods - some interstate -- have either chosen to stay where they are or make it to other campuses to work.

The Office of Corporate Communications collaborated with the Student Services Directorate, the People & Culture Directorate and ITD on New Year's Day to establish www.cqu.edu.au/flood which houses information for students and staff affected by the flood.

Students were notified Wednesday that Emergency Grants of up to $1000 would be made available to eligible students who may have suffered losses related their studies on accounts of the flood.

As of Thursday no flood-related damage had been reported on any campus, though CQUniversity's Ron Smyth Building on Quay Street (adjacent to the Fitzroy River) had been sandbagged and evacuated earlier this week.  The road has been covered by water. The underground carpark of the former Commonwealth Building (owned by CQUni)  in the Rockhampton CBD was closed to traffic, too, as a precaution.

Helicopters land at CQUniversity's baseball diamond.

International students - some due to arrive for Term 1 as early as mid January from overseas - have been contacted and instructed to remain in constant communications with the University. CQUniversity International reports that 61 commencing students due to Rockhampton have been advised to proceed with their current travel plans. If for any reason access to Rockhampton is not available due to flooding the University will make arrangements to welcome and host students at other CQUniversity campuses until they can be located back to Rockhampton.

With media crews from CNN, Germany, Al Jazeera, the BBC, ABC, Ten, Nine, Seven and SBS, and reporters from The Morning Bulletin, Sydney Morning Herald, AAP and other outlets on campus at Rockhampton the demand for CQUniversity "experts" is high for broadcast and print outlets.  More than a dozen CQUniversity researchers and staff - as of Thursday - have or are scheduled to talk to the media about the economic, social and environmental impact of the floods.

Chancellery received numerous calls from Federal and State agencies which expressed their concern for the University community's well-being and that of all Central Queenslanders.