Cities prepare to bounce back

THE first steps have been taken to return life to normal in the flood disaster zone that has engulfed 500,000sq km of Queensland.

THE first steps have been taken to return life to normal in the flood disaster zone that has engulfed 500,000sq km of Queensland.

The CBDs of Brisbane and neighbouring Ipswich, made ghost towns when rivers burst their banks last week, will reopen today as office basements are pumped clear of floodwater and public transport resumes.

But the education system is racing against time to deliver a promise by Premier Anna Bligh that every child in the state will be able to start school next Monday.

In greater Brisbane, where 17,500 homes were inundated or affected by floodwaters and more than 127,000 properties lost power at the height of the crisis, repair crews were striving to reconnect all but the most seriously affected.

But Ms Bligh warned many of the remaining 26,000 properties could be without power for weeks. Public servants in the CBD-based headquarters of major state government departments were called in to work yesterday, as Brisbane prepared to reopen for business.

Ms Bligh said all but five CBD towers would be reactivated today, with power back on to the downtown precinct, and most basements and car parks pumped out.

Commuter train services, with the exception of the Ipswich line, will run, along with buses. But some busways remain inactive. Ferry services are limited on Brisbane River, where many terminals have been damaged.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman called on employers to stagger start and finish times to try to avoid gridlock on the city's roads.

Yesterday, vestiges of routine returned, with cinemas operating and most restaurants open.

The return to school next Monday for the state's 700,000 primary and secondary school students is a huge challenge after Ms Bligh revealed 92 state schools had had classes and buildings inundated.

The crisis co-ordination centre at Grantham in the Lockyer Valley was being moved from the school to a marquee so classes could start. Ms Bligh said every primary and high school student would be catered for. "We expect to have every school open, or an alternative available, so that every child can start school on day one."

About 500,000 state school students will return next Monday, along with 200,000 more in independent schools. While the "open for business" sign has been put out in the CBD, some firms in Rocklea could be closed for months.

Additional reporting: Rory Callinan