Floods

Well, it's a new year and this is my first post.

Things have been catastrophic here in Brisbane. It's been truly horrifying. So many lives lost. Homes, possessions, memories, and safety; gone in almost the blink of an eye.

Tim has been out today for more than 12 hours already helping with the clean up and they've only made it to two homes. And neither of them are anywhere near cleaned up. It is going to literally take months. It will take years for things to be fully rectified, and even then, it won't be as it was. So many people are going to be homeless for a very long time.Thousands of homes will have to be completely demolished. It's incredibly sad.

What is it they say about tragedy bringing out the best in people? It has. But there are also the vultures - too many incidents of looting - what unfeeling, selfish,utter bastards. But gloriously there have been tens of thousands of everyday people getting out into suburban streets with their brooms, mops, hoses, pressure cleaners and mucking in wherever they can. It gives you faith that everything will somehow be ok.

I feel impotent in many ways. I wish I could do more. But with two babies it is hard. I have packed up lots of baby clothes and toys. A friend-of-a-friend is 37 weeks pregnant and lost absolutely everything when their house in Chelmer was consumed by the river. Every single thing in her home is gone. Everything they had bought in preparation for the arrival of their first baby. I've packed up lots of stuff for her.

I have been glued to the television for days. Tears streaming down my face. It's almost more than I can bear, but I can't tear my eyes away. The stories of babies and children being torn from their parents' arms by violent waters breaks my heart. I don't think I could go on. But they do. People can show extraordinary strength in the most hideous of circumstances, and I suppose, have done since time began.

Everyday heroes. My heroes.

Some photos of my beautiful devastated city.