Hello from flood-ravaged Queensland

Thanks so much for all the emails of concern for me and my family regarding the devastating circumstances Brisbane has been facing with the floods.  Thankfully, we live on a different river system on the outskirts of Brisbane so have managed to stay safe but our hearts sank deep witnessing what our fellow Brisbanites and Queenslanders have been through.....I've shed many tears.  The situation facing thousands is dire but the Aussie spirit remains strong in the face of it all and we will all pull together and recover. Our Federal and State governments have been amazing and are doing everything in their power to help ease the suffering and are also offering immediate financial relief to flood victims.  The State Emergency crews have been working around the clock and their efforts have been heroic.  Forty-eight evacuation centres were set up where thousands of Brisbane residents sought refuge as their homes literally flooded while the Brisbane River peaked overnight. The stories of heroism and loss of life have been heartwrenching.  Brisbane's sister city - Ipswich - also copped a battering and, Toowoomba, a city in the mountain ranges experienced what has been described as an 'inland tsunami'.  The residents there had no warning and the video footage was unbelievable!  The clean up in the flood affected areas across Queensland will be massive!

75% of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone.

Death toll is currently : 12 15

Persons currently missing : 62 but fluctuates
110,000 Brisbane homes without power
Major road and rail systems cut off and damaged

Some links of interest -

Latest news this morning
River hazard
Save my brother
Devastation in Grantham
Toowoomba flood footage
Queensland Flood - Slideshow

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 We are glued to the TV watching the news events as they unfold and feel guilty that we are safe while so many are suffering.  

 My son, Beau, works for the RSPCA - animal shelter/refuge - and, yesterday, he went in to help with the evacuation of all the animals to safe areas as the shelter was going under.  Initially, he had trouble getting there because sections of major roads were under water so had to find alternative routes.  Thankfully, temporary foster families were found for all the animals and a large vet centre took some in too.

Last night, Beau and Reece were going in to the flood affected areas to help with sand-bagging but police stated they had enough volunteers for last night but more may be needed over the coming weeks.  The offers of volunteer help have been amazing!

Food supplies are critical and, even the shelves in our local supermarkets are emptying fast to the point where we are being rationed on the food items such as bread, milk, eggs, meat, poultry etc.  No bottled water was left on the shelves when we were at the supermarket yesterday.  Most of Queensland has been flood affected - farms and crops devastated - and this will dramatically affect vital food supplies and prices for months to come.

I was 15 when the '74 floods hit Brisbane and I remember it well.....this current situation is just as devastating.

Please keep Queensland in your thoughts and prayers.

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Sorry I haven't been able to ease your concerns any sooner but I had a stroke of bad luck when my poor old computer died three days ago and I had to get a new one. It has taken a while to set up the new one and install necessary programs.

Prior to the serious flood situation, I had done another art journal page complaining about the rain.....at that stage, I had no idea just how bad it was going to get.

On the homefront, due to the excessive rainfall and the new housing lot development behind our fence, we have still been dealing with water pouring into our backyard during the rain periods.  While this is a minor hiccup compared to the larger flood disaster across Brisbane, I'm all aches and pains right now because Aaron and I jumped the back fence two days ago and desperately tried to dig trenches in a futile attempt to divert water away from our back fence.  My back injury has flared up and I am battling migraines due to the emotionally gut-wrenching situations we have been seeing in our city. I'm feeling sad and depressed about it all.

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For obvious reasons, I haven't been able to catch up with blogs or respond to emails - a lot of which I lost when my computer died - but my heartfelt thanks goes out to all who have emailed me privately or commented on my blog. 

Again, please keep Queensland in your thoughts and prayers....as the flood waters recede, the hard work of cleaning up begins.

~ Love, light and peace ~