"The weather may break our hearts...

…but it will not break our will.” [Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, 11/1/11]

So up until last week, some of us have enjoyed the change in weather we’ve been experiencing lately, the cooler days of this Summer, endless rain and storms, but this week has been/is heart breaking.

Last Sunday we watched the Flood Relief Appeal on Channel 9 and the devastating pictures of the effects of the floods in regional Queensland. (This time two years ago, many of these places were experiencing devastating droughts – extravagant plans were being made for alternative sources of water supply.) While it was difficult and alarming to watch the devastating images of houses and whole towns being swallowed by the flood waters, people stranded on their roof tops – their lives beneath them in ruins, the generosity of fellow Australians was inspiring and heart warming. The Premier’s Flood Appeal has now raised over $35million in donations, though as a result of the most recent events the costs of this disaster are expected to be in the billions and rebuilding our state will take years - we need more.

By Monday the relentless rain storms caused the Lockyer Creek to reach a record peak of almost 19 metres before a failing gauge caused what was described as an 8 metre “in land tsunami” to rage without warning through the CBD of Toowoomba, just west of Brisbane. The resulting situation for that region and surrounding areas were described by the Premier as “grim and desperate”. With people missing and harrowing stories of those lost, the news that followed was a warning for Ipswich and Brisbane residents that the raging water was making its way into the Brisbane River.

On Tuesday, Amelie’s Kindy and my husband’s offices were evacuated along with the entire Brisbane CBD. What is usually an 8min drive home took him 1 ½ hours – there was grid lock on the roads as everyone left the city at once to prepare for the worst. The Brisbane River and surrounding creeks began to rise and were predicted to peak beyond levels experienced in the 1974 floods.

Wednesday we awoke to a beautiful, perfect Brisbane summer’s day – blue skies and sweltering heat. It was deceiving – despite our suburb being one of those at risk, there were people out walking, taking their children to the park but there were also other madly scrambiling to save their houses. That night while receiving and making calls and texts to friends and family to check on each others’ safety, we watched the news report that entire suburbs and areas adjacent to the River and creeks had become completely inundated. We watched iconic riverside restaurants, moorings (with boats still attached), pontoons and people’s possessions float down the Brisbane River.

Now we are watching the real effects all of this has had on people’s lives but we are also watching the human spirit at its best. The heroic stories and the stories of community – of people coming together and helping each other, of people remaining positive and thankful for what they have.

So the positives in all this - For me personally, most importantly, everyone I know and love is safe and well. Amelie, completely oblivious to all of this, has enjoyed the longest stretch of time with both her parents at home all to herself. It is sad that it has taken a natural disaster to achieve this.

There are so many stories of ‘awesome-ness:-

The Little Tugboat That Could – a tug boat that steered the ‘floating walkway’ safely under the Gateway bridge, saving the potential for it to become a dangerous concrete torpedo hurtling down the river. Nobody asked the tugboat captain to do this, he just thought he should.

Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh’s decision to provide a personal brief to the public every 2hours I think provided many people with assurances they needed that they were receiving the most up to date, accurate information and advice first hand. It was obvious she was across every breaking detail and exercised great leadership under the most extreme circumstances, showing true emotion, compassion fortitude and assured assertiveness. I love that when asked whether she would be awarding the tugboat pilot an Order of Australia medal, she said “at the very least he’ll be getting a cold beer” (Australian awesomeness).

Volunteers, rescue workers, helicopter pilots, pretty much everyone I know helping others in some way – packing sandbags, moving furniture and people out of their homes, rescuing animals, cars, checking on friends, strangers…anything…it all counts.

"As we weep for what we have lost, and as we grieve for family and friends and we confront the challenge that is before us, I want us to remember who we are. We are Queenslanders. We're the people that they breed tough, north of the border. We're the ones that they knock down, and we get up again." [Anna Bligh]

More information on how to make a donation to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal can be found at the Queensland Government website.