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Queensland Floods

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Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
January 12, 2011, 09:18

Just got this message from a friend of mine……and wondering if anyone else we know has been affected.


It maybe sometime before I am back online. Today I have lost everything I own. My home is underwater, We were woken by the police at 1am and told to get out. We had no chance to get anything out as I am still physically recovering from being swept away by the wave of water through South East Queensland on Monday afternoon.


I was on my way home from my office on Monday afternoon and got caught in the torrent of water that you have possibly seen on TV. My car was pushed about 500 metres backwards down the road and ended up in a drain. I eventually had to escape from my vehicle and spent sometime standing between my vehicle and the one that had pushed into it, my car had tipped to a 45degree angle. I was fine for a while but got hit a tree being washed down the roadway. I lost my footing and was washed underneath my vehicle and had to grab hold of a road side speed sign as the water washed around me. I stayed hanging onto the post until eventually the water level dropped.


Physically I am very beaten up with most of the skin torn from my legs below my knees by the tree branches, lumps of wood and large pieces of bitumen. I have no skin left on my right fore-arm as I wear a silver bracelet on that arm and I held that bracelet tight to keep me from being washed away as I clung to the road sign. I have a great bruise on my ribs from being washed into the road sign.



Luckily I was helped by a local person who took me home and allowed me to shower and found me some clothes and fed me. Thank God for the generosity of strangers.



On the work front, my office has had about a metre of water through it last night, but I cannot be there and most of my staff are not able to get there either.


All of this puts my whole life in perspective. I know this is probably not an appropriate posting for this group but am asking you all to please pray for all of us in South East Queensland.



Peter.



Mr Summit
Chapter Leader
Joined in 2010
January 12, 2011, 09:36

Woah, that’s intense.


I’m still ok, atm. I spent yesterday watching Facebook as many of my friends and family had to evacuate, were flooded or got cut off. The suburb where I grew up is completely underwater. It’s unbelievable.


The suburb where I live is set to flood on Thursday. The ’74 floods stopped about 2 blocks from here. These floods are meant to be worse. I live in a 3rd story apartment so all our stuff should be fine but I am not happy about the prospect to being stuck in here so we are watching the news and may get out anyway.


Life is weird. These is an SES HQ at the bottom of our street and we may go down to help them fill sandbags once they need more volunteers. It is very busy there. They city is basically shut down. We are supposed to stay off the roads, off the phones, and conserve drinking water.


It’s very sad. I like Brisbane and now it’s all going underwater. I hope everyone is ok. 🙁



magsdee
Disabled
Joined in 2006
January 12, 2011, 09:40

Hi, I’ve a message on the F2b facebook page, we are all standing with you guys and all of Qld hit with this disaster, theres just no words to say regarding what we are seeing apart from “what can we do?” you are definately in my prayers and have gotten in touch with certain church groups to pray, which they were doing anyhow. stay safe and know our thoughts and prayers are with you…….



Boi70
 
Joined in 2007
January 12, 2011, 10:51

I am fortunate to live in a suburb that won’t be affected by the flooding Brisbane River. I do work in the CBD – so, we were sent home yesterday, and told not to come into work today.


The next few days will be very tragic for so many people in Brisbane. I have some friends who have had to leave their houses / units. My mother works in one of the major hospitals here in Brisbane, and they are working with very few staff, as so many workers are either cut off or flooded.


It is all very sad as we all wait for the flooding to continue, and it has been a real shock for people in Brisbane when we heard of and began to see the pics and hear the stories about the disasters in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley, with the destruction and tragic loss of life there. 🙁


The email posted by AVB just shows how terrifying and how unexpected it has been, and makes it all the more real when it is affecting someone we know. It will be so important for the community to help those affected – especially, as so many lose so much. Since yesterday, I have either been contacted by relatives / friends interstate or have checked with friends here in Brisbane to make sure that they are okay.


I hope that all F2B users and guests affected by the flooding in SE QLD and by other rain and flooding throughout Australia will be safe over the next few days, and over the next few weeks.


Jason



Ann Maree
 
Joined in 2008
January 12, 2011, 13:02

Hi avb


That’s so awful. Peter’s account shows the complexity of the catastrophe that extends well beyond severe losses to physical injuries, loss of work and the likelihood of post traumatic stress.


Our thoughts and prayers are with Peter and all Queenslanders as they manage this crisis and the recovery process.


Blessings,


Ann Maree



Myfanwe
 
Joined in 2007
January 12, 2011, 22:02

We have not been directly affected by floods here. There were a couple of road closures around us, which had us ‘flooded in’ for a while, but our house is on high ground so we didn’t get any water on our land. My youngest sister has been evacuated from her house in Rockhampton and hasn’t been able to go home yet, no idea when she will be allowed back, or what she’s lost to the floods.


My eldest daughter lives in New Farm but is expected to be okay as she’s on high ground. My son is at Morningside, not far from the river. So far his place is expected to remain dry. My youngest daughter lives near the Kedron Brook, but is also on high ground. Hopefully, they will all come through it without too many problems.


Thanks to everyone here for your prayers and kind thoughts. For a lot of us who are here, and relatively unscathed, we also can only ask “What can we do?”


Donate, Pray, and if possible, volunteer to assist others. That’s about all that can be done.



Mr Summit
Chapter Leader
Joined in 2010
January 13, 2011, 08:06

I helped fill sand bags for 6 hours yesterday. It’s just so sereal. I just have to walk down the street to see flooding, but it is still so hard to believe it is actually happening.



Boi70
 
Joined in 2007
January 13, 2011, 14:18

It is good to hear how people are helping others – filling sandbags / helping to move things from houses – even people whom they don’t know – complete strangers. On ABC News, a woman in Paddington, took in a Vietnamese couple and their two children – they had only been in Australia about 6 months.


I am glad to hear that you are safe too Mr Summit.


It is very surreal up here in Brisbane – watching the footage on TV over the last few days – and then waking up this morning to see and hear how Brisbane survived 4.2 meter floods, and not the 5.2 meters predicted. It is so distressing seeing all the flood damage to other peoples homes and business, and seeing the hopeless of their situation. And even if you are ok – you are impacted because you know someone who has lost so much….


And then the death toll in the Lockyer Valley is steadily increasing as well. 🙁 🙁 🙁


And the clean up has yet to begin – and that is a huge task and will be going on for a long time for so many people…. 🙁



4JC
 
Joined in 2007
January 15, 2011, 06:49

I heard on the Belgian news how generous people in Australia are towards each other. We can all learn something of the Ozzie’s. Its amazing how people wanted to help each other. 😉 I can’t imagine how big the floods are they compare it here with Germany and France together or 50 times the size of Belgium.



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
January 15, 2011, 11:32

yes it is wonderful to see the beautiful qualities of the Aussie spirit of fairness and equality come forth…….along with the capacity to face hardship in the face…….and to move on.


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