THE RESIDENTS of Brisbane have begun the slow and arduous process of cleaning up the city following the midweek floods, which saw up to five metres of rainwater fall in some spots.

Residents and humanitarian volunteers took to the streets to clear the thick brown mud enveloping the city, after floodwaters breached about 30,000 houses in 70 different neighbourhoods.

The search also continues for the bodies of the people who went missing during the floods; the body of one missing person was found a full 50 miles away from where they went missing, and New South Wales police commissioner Bob Atkinson has admitted that some of the missing may never be found.

ABC reports that electricity has been cut in some areas of Victoria, meanwhile, as the state prepares for its own flooding; electricity officials say the power cuts are down to moderate flooding.

Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, currently on board the International Space Station, earlier posted an aerial photograph of Brisbane on his Flickr account, showing significant parts of the city as solidly brown: an illustration of the city’s condition in the aftermath of the torrential rains.

The Australian reports that some of the blame for the flooding has been pointed at the operators of Brisbane’s main dam, who have come under fire for their policy of storing water near the maximum supply level in the months leading up to the current crisis.

The overall death toll from the flooding in Australia to date now stands at 27, with an equal number still missing, Bloomberg reports.

In the Australian’s video below, local resident Glen Middleton returns to his home – under five feet of rainwater – for the first time since the heavy rainwater. (Warning: some strong language.)