DDC Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Howdy all. Cheers for the well wishes. Good to hear all my QLD Brethren are OK. Holmes- I've not heard reports from Runcorn yet, hopefully that means they are safe. My report from 'Ground Zero': It's bloody wet. None of us can understand how the top of a hill can get flooded. THE BLOODY TOP OF A HILL! The pictures getting around are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the destruction and carnage caused. The CBD of town was completely flooded. The worst part was the speed at which the water appeared. There was simply no time for people to get out of the way. We're just now getting to the stage of running out of food/water petrol etc. We've still got power here luckily. All the roads in and out of Toowoomba are gone. If they're not still under water, they've been washed away. As for me, my Mrs and i are alive and safe. We've been stuck in Toowoomba since monday. I booked a hotel early, so we've had somewhere to stay at least. The biggest worry for us is that we dont know if we have a home to go to when the roads open up again. We live in the town of Gatton, and our back yard backs onto town of Grantham (Well, there isn't a town there anymore, it was decimated), and we've not been able to contact anyone that way to find out what's happening. Here's hoping. Keep your thoughts going out for those people really suffering. Those who have lost family/friends have my sympathy and condolences. Sorry if that all sounds a bit disjointed. Were still not over the magnitude of this situation. Cheers again, Denzil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ross blackford Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Good to hear you're safe Denzil. I didn't realize you lived so close to Grantham. Just as well you had the good sense to evacuatae early. All the best to you and your lady mate. Ross. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ross blackford Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) Good to hear you're safe Denzil. I didn't realize you lived so close to Grantham. Just as well you had the good sense to evacuatae early. All the best to you and your lady mate. Ross. Sorry, double post. Edited January 12, 2011 by ross blackford Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Denzil, I hope all is well when you do get to return home ... That must be frightening not knowing ... :) All the Best and Take Care ... -Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BadCop Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Ross MY thoughts are with those people of QLD ...do you know if RUNCORN is as bad as well as MYbrother lives there..I tried googling but it it does not show much very well just a blue line showing where water has gone over and where it is likely to flood.. WE cannot get any response to e mails and Family in USA ans UK are worried .. MY prayers are with the people of QLD and MY brother and his family... ANY one watched the news over there that can enlighten ME...Thank you. HOLMES :) :) Holmes, I don't know of any reported flooding around Runcorn, though the nearby Airfield at Archerfield is pretty wet. I'll know more when I get back to work tonight. voglers may well go under, the flood will be worse than 74 by all accounts As of this afternoon Voglers is well above the flood levels and should be okay while we get the peak tonight. Denzil - good to hear that you're doing okay. It's amazing to think of how quickly things went pear shaped at Toowoomba, especially for a city so high up without a river. The speed was what made it so dangerous. As bad as the flooding is here at least it's not too difficult to get out of the way and save yourself, if not your stuff. It's quite surreal here at Yamanto. Everything around here seems perfectly normal, but a short drive over to the city things are very different. When I went to the shops this morning to get a few groceries there were quite a few people panic buying everything in sight and it took me nearly an hour to get through the checkout for half a trolley of stuff. Trent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmike Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Gents, best of wishes to you all from us in the west. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. We have had flooding in the north of WA (though no where near as bad as Queensland) and bushfires near Perth in the south. A truly bad time of the year all round. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ross blackford Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 My thoughts nd prayers to all you Westerners Mike, especially to the family of the person who died in that deliberately lit fire over there. I still think that as a society we're too soft on firebugs who commit such offences. Likewise looters after such events. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DDC Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Thanks again all. If you've a god to pray to, please do for the folks who didnt get out of this. I've just been for a fly over the effected areas and i'm totally blown away by the destruction. It's like something out of hollywood. It's easily seen where the water's been, there's just a big brown flowing 'road', everything has been flattened. I'm one of the lucky few. My place was just high enough to not get hit. The neighbour's farm house opposite my place wasn't so lucky. It's gone. I can only hope they got out ok. Ross; We didnt evacuate, we both work in toowoomba, so monday morning, we just headed to work as per the norm. Monday lunchtime, all hell broke loose. Many in toowoomba are in the same boat. Came to work, and now we're all stuck with what we brought with us! I was VERY lucky. Being displaced for a few nights is nothing compared to what so many are going through right now, and will be for months to come. Please put your thoughts/prayers out for these people. Take care, Denzil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ixgr1 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Latest news (from Brisbane City) is that the river will peek at 0300 tomorrow morning (our time). 12 now dead in the locker valley The major sports stadium "Suncourp Stadium" AKA-lang Park, is flooded chest deep and will go over head ! A Major artirial, Corrination Drive (5 lane Highway) is underwater. Floating resteraunts and boat pontoons (with boats atached) have been torn away and smashed into the bottom of bridges (built to stride another flood !) It's just as it looks on TV - The main dispair is there is NOTHING any one can do to stop it, the destruction is an inevitability. I may even be alowed to go home and sleep in MY bed tomorrow...........if the river peeks tonight !! (i am Johney shift worker on the spot - that can't get Relief, theres only two of us that can get here) Holmes - Runcorn is on resonably high ground, your folks should be safe ! Good luck to all Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DDC Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 MadMike- my thoughts out to you WAers too. Made infinitely worse by the fact that the fires were deliberately started. I hope a 'Civillian' gets to him before the cops do, and give him a bit of 'just' punishment. I dont think there is a death painfull enough for scum like that. I heard of a lady who is stuck here in Toowoomba, but she lives right where the fires are happening in WA. Doesnt know if she's got anything left either.Terrible times. Take care and all the best mate Denzil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmike Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Denzil I believe that lady lost her home to the arson started fires, or so the news has stated. A comment from a local resident "Someone should nail the b..... to a tree" You take care mate, be safe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iron Man Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Holmes, your family is in my thoughts and prayers ... :D I hope all turns out well ... -Gregg I too am praying for you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4scourge7 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Ditto the concerns for Aussie ARCers and the whole region. Horrific scenes, Best of wishes to all of Australia and those with friends/family there. Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Tavendale Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'm one of the lucky ones. Far enough away from the centre of town to not be affected. We got evacuated twice from work, but thankfully we didn't get any water nearby. It's actually fairly hard to imagine only a few miles away this is all unfolding. I've not seen any of it first hand - I want to stay away and not be one of those "rubber neckers" getting in the way. We went round the road from work to the mouth of the river, it was amazing seeing how fast the water was rushing and all the debris. Just a terrible tragedy for all those who have lost everything. I think we're very lucky that the rain stopped when it did, it could have been so much worse! (Which seems hard to believe!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 And I thought floods along rivers in the US could be bad. This is just CRAZY (probably because it practically never happens)! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DDC Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Trent and John - Glad to hear you're both safe and out of the way. The pictures this morning of brisbane have been simply incredible. Take care, Denzil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blackhawk7 Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I still find it hard to believe it is happening here in Brisbane, literally on the doorstep. I suppose being far enough away to not be affected by the rising water and not being able to see the devastation first hand yet has made the whole event seem so surreal. Some mates and myself just registered on the volunteer website so hopefully we might be able to lend a hand in the clean up in some way in the coming days or weeks. And although Brisbane has just been hit, I think it is important to not forget the other communities out there in central Queensland who have been devastated, some of whom are battling rising water for the third time in as many weeks. Though I am glad to hear everyone here on ARC from the affected areas seem to be doing okay. Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Tavendale Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I still find it hard to believe it is happening here in Brisbane, literally on the doorstep. I suppose being far enough away to not be affected by the rising water and not being able to see the devastation first hand yet has made the whole event seem so surreal. Some mates and myself just registered on the volunteer website so hopefully we might be able to lend a hand in the clean up in some way in the coming days or weeks. And although Brisbane has just been hit, I think it is important to not forget the other communities out there in central Queensland who have been devastated, some of whom are battling rising water for the third time in as many weeks. Though I am glad to hear everyone here on ARC from the affected areas seem to be doing okay. Tom So very right, Tom. It is surreal. I'm at Nundah, a mere stones throw from the river and Albion which have been affected. I feel so blessed that we're safe and away from the water. And you're right - while we've been hit, there are other communities which have lost it all. 75% of the state has been affected by this which is just amazing. That's about twice the size of Texas - a huge area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) I got this in MY e-mail this morning{from MY brother} and thought you would like to see it... It may explain if you are still waiting for your parcels etc .. http://andrewinmelbourne.imgur.com/toll_brisbane HOLMES Edited January 20, 2011 by HOLMES Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 ....he sent ME another e mail...just hover over the phtos and see the devastation .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/ql...beforeafter.htm HOLMES Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bun E. Carlos Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Unreal! Thoughts are with you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ross blackford Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) , Now southern New South Wales and northern Victoria are enduring a great flood. The Victorian town of Kerang was evacuated yesterday or the day before. In the small town of Jeparit (hope the spelling's right) in NW Victoria is an old man (96 years old) who is resisting moving out. He reckons he's lived through 2 world wars, served in 1 of them, has experienced fire, drought and pestilence but has never experienced a flood. He just went and stocked up on a few days worth of supplies and intends to wait it out in his own home which is on pretty high ground. At the moment there is a skills shortage in Australia and the fear now is that unlicenced "tradespeople" will gravitate to the flood affected areas and rip off both the devestated home and business owners and the insurance companies. Apparently some insurance companies are refusing to payout to people whose policies covered them for flood. All of a sudden the 'flood' has become an 'act of God' which very few insurance companies will cover. At the moment a team of QLD lawyers is looking at the possibility of taking a class action on behalf of devestated home and business owners against such recalcitrant companies. They quite willingly take our money, but it seems more and more we have to fight them through the courts to get anything back, especially in situations like this one. The waters are receding slowly at one end of Australia and rising rapidly at the other end. Even some of the areas that have been flood devestated have been having some more heavy rains, especially in northern NSW where there has been at least one death. A person was washed away from Grantham in the Darling Downs right on Denzils back fence, and the body was found 80km (50 miles) away I think it was in Moreton Bay or somewhere close to there. Ross. Typo edit. Edited January 20, 2011 by ross blackford Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hello Ross, As if the people of Australia have nothing to grieve about or worry about , they have to put up with rip-of merchants who will definitley prey on people WHO NEED to get their homes in some sort of semblance that they once had... Where has their empathy and community spirit gone..I know that they have to make a living but fairs fair, why pump up the price and make these people who have lost all they owned, lost their livelihood in some cases and even lives of their loved ones suffer more... Well I think the Insurance Companies guzzle our money, say one thing and do another , interpret clauses to suit themselves and refuse to repay when making claims... is Disgusting... I hope the Class Action wins through...Shame that the flood has moved on to another part and.. ... that 96 year old Veteran is surely not going to give eh?He is a gutsy fellow but the Emergency Professionals may think and say otherwise... Hope he keeps safe even so.. HOLMES Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Just incredible ... My prayers are with All of Australia, especially all those affected by this disaster ... Holmes, those photos remind me of when the Midwest Floods of 1993 happened here in the US ... They lasted from about April to October ... >>> Clicky <<< Ross, Opportunistic people like that should get the same sentences as looters ... As for the Insurance Companies, almost anything that they 'Cover' can be called 'An act of God' ... -Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Oh MY goodness Gregg that is just as awful as this flood in Australia.. How long did it take for the flood damagae to get cleaned up and get the place looking as normal as can be... I hope the floods subside very soon... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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