Queensland floods

12 Jan 2011 5 Comments

by Christie Tonks in What's happening...

It is an extraordinary experience when you are caught up in something as big as these floods and yet your micro world goes on without incident. Paul & I took on a house sit in Toowoomba on Saturday morning.  It was a last minute decision because we had finished house sitting in the northern Brisbane suburb of Carseldine and the next house sit isn’t until 20th Jan.  We were just wondering what we would do, where we would live, and in which direction we  should go when Kirstie from Toowoomba sent me an email asking us to house sit whilst the family went away for a last minute holiday. We waved them off on Saturday morning and on Saturday night the rain, I mean terrential, driving rain, started.  On Monday we braved the rain and drove down to the city of Toowoomba, about 7kms down the hill from the house we are in, to have the indicator unit fixed on the van.  The weather was so foul that as soon as that was fixed we came straight back to the house.  As we watched the rains turn the small creek that runs near this property into a raging torrent we were unaware of the devestation that was happening in the city that we had been in that morning.  I had had a conversation with the mechanic about the rain and he made a comment that he was a bit sick of it but that there were people far worse off in the flood stricken areas around.  I wonder how the flash flood that engulfed the city 4 hours later has affected him?  It is now Wednesday, the rain has finally stopped and the sun is actually shining.  The sun makes everyone feel better and it is comforting to be able to see other houses around, these have been elusive during the last few days due to a constant fog that has shrouded the property.  During the rains and fog of the last few days and last night as we watched the news of this unprecedented crisis unfold before our very eyes, my emotions swayed between feeling lucky – oh so lucky, and a little un-nerved.  How fate led us on a stretch of road along the Warrega highway that a few days later would be a region where 9 people die and over 60 – some of which are whole families – are missing. How fate had us accept a house sit on top of a hill that is probaly the best place to be.  Paul has always said I am a lucky person – well I certainly feel that now and only hope it doesn’t run out.  The city of Toowoomba has now re-opened but traffic is unable to get in or out of the surounding region so shop shelves are empty and people now have to start re-building their lives and businesses.  For those that still don’t know where loved ones are and for those that have lost people to this rage of mother nature my heart aches and I stop revelling in my luck and instead give thanks to what ever higher force has allowed my world to go on without incident.