Saturday, April 1, 2017

Mud and water as far as I can see

and it's not pretty

This is day 3 and while I've come through fairly well compared to 60% of the town, I'm not unscathed, emotionally and physically. A lot of photos here of the before, during and after and they tell the story of the inundation, the amount of water dropped on us in a short time and what's left now. What they can't show is the absolute terror I felt Thursday night, as the rain pounded and the river roared right beside my house, like a freight train.  I lay in bed with the dog cowering beside me.... both of us cowering actually....and we listened to the thumps and thunks in the night, as loose debris was hurled into the house, some of it huge trees I saw next day.  I had followed along on a local FB site, shared emails with concerned friends and was on the phone with friends and neighbours as we kept vigil and waited, and checked on each other.  I watched as the SES boats zoomed back and forth along the street, sometimes right through my front yard, to evacuate people from their homes and sometimes their rooftops. I was up and down all night checking the water levels, and by about 4am they were about 15 cm from the floorboards, so I got up and started emptying cupboards and stacking things up off the floor "just in case".  It didn't happen though, no water came into the house, but a lot of people weren't so lucky.

Then  my power went off about 3am, and I was on my own with it.  I had spoken with my son in Sydney and he said he was on his way.  My phone cut out, and so I couldn't tell him you won't get to me, all roads in and out are closed, some washed away, others angry roaring extensions of the river. It was a comfort to know he was on his way, but dam, I wanted him there in the house with me, right then! He's nearby somewhere, driving the countryside, trying to find a way into town.  I'll be really glad when he's here.



Above are all Thursday afternoon as we waited, the river had almost topped the 6metre levee bank by then and the park where Mirrhi and I walk every day was well and truly under water, with it heading rapidly to the road, the main road into and out of town(bottom picture)


These are looking east and north, by 6pm the roads out were under water, and my whole yard was a lake.


 From my lounge room looking towards the river, it was like a waterfall rushing over the levee wall, and the noise was unbelievable.  The levee bank here is 6 metres high and had disappeared completely

 My vegetable garden, only the lemon grass still visible
 Looking north
From the front door, looking south
 About 11pm Thursday from my bedroom window, one of many rounds of the house to check how high the water was coming up. This was still a couple of feet from floor level.
 Neighbour's house Friday morning. this is a new build, pretty messy in there now


Early Friday morning, the rain had stopped, but the river kept overflowing.  Looking from my front door again

Mid-morning Friday, back of my house, looking down at the vegetable garden that was



 
 Was planning to pick those tamarillos on Thursday and make jam, hope they're still there  







Well that was Thursday night and Friday. The water's gone down a lot and the clean up has begun.  It's been heartbreaking to see the mess under my house, the garden that's destroyed and the amount of silt and mud to be removed from around the house.  More in another post, I'm exhausted now and looking forward to a full night's sleep where I don't have to be up checking water levels.  We were told yesterday that there'd be another major flood last night because of a tidal surge, so I
was awake and on alert all night, but it didn't happen, thank goodness. 

 till next time...

14 comments:

  1. OMG that's a lot of water! gosh hope no one was hurt up there, think i'd be terrified too, hope all your animals are okay too, ohhh dear, didn't you have chooks?
    glad you're safe now, did your son make it to you eventually? he must've been beside himself with worry!
    i don't even want to think about THAT kind of damage to house foundations & stumps, it's bad enough when you only have small rivers rushing past your doors & flooding your laundry.
    glad you got through it okay
    thanx for sharing

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  2. Nanette how frightening for you especially being on your own. I hope you are having a good sleep now and that your son arrives soon.,

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  3. Oh Nanette, how absolutely terrified you must have been... thank god you're ok & it will be so good to get your arms around your son... be sure to take care of yourself while you're cleaning up - both physically & mentally

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  4. We are all thinking of you.

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  5. Nanette, my heart aches for you and everyone up north. I am sure all Victorians are keeping up to date with the news in Qld and NSW, and everyone I talk to is shocked to see how bad it is getting. Feel so helpless. For what it is worth, {{{hugs}}} across cyberspace.

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  6. How dreadful! Hope you got a decent sleep last night, before you have to face the mess the flood has made of your garden.

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  7. Oh Nanette, my heart breaks for you. It makes our scary-enough cyclone experience pale by comparison, and at least we had each other to hang onto when the wind rose to express-train levels. I wish we could have been there for you. I hope your son is able to find a way to get to you, and that he stays safe while he finds his way.
    Like you, our garden is a sea of mud. I tell myself that all that extra mud is added fertility, like when the Nile floods each year and brings fertility to the land. I don't suppose it's much consolation when your beautiful productive vegie garden has been swept away, though.
    The trail of destruction continues. It appears Rockhampton will also be going under as all the rain that fell on Central Qld runs out to sea. They're talking about the worst flooding there since 1954.

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  8. Oh Nanette how frightening for you especially at night. You must be just so exhausted physically and emotionally. I really hope you've been able to get some rest and hopefully your son will be with you soon.

    If only I could sit with you, chat, give you a hug........

    Thinking of you xx

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  9. Oh Treasure so so sorry to see this but thank goodness you and the furries were safe. Hope your son did manage to get through, he must have been so worried about you too. Heart breaking I know when floods hit your home, it's like a burglary in a way, it's invaded into your security. Do hope the water wont have done major damage to your foundations?
    Guess it's wait and see and once it's dried out you will get a better idea. Do you have insurance to cover underlying damages?
    Many of our insurances omit flood damage after huge claims over here in particular areas. Or you pay out £2000 a year for cover!
    Did your previous house fair any better, your that bit closer I think to the river aren't you?
    It must have been terrifying though to experience it.
    Let's hope this is a once in a lifetime event and you can relax and get that jam made girl.
    Take care and if you need it, join a group to talk it through, it's a shocking thing to go through, so find there's to talk it through with and that waybthe shock, pain and fear won't impact on your future calm.
    Hugs Hun x

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  10. Oh Nanette, my heart goes out to everyone suffering. I'm so glad you are ok and I hope your son will soon be home. Take care. Hugs xx

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  11. I'm a new commenter, visiting from Nanna Chels' blog, who mentioned your recent experience. I cried a little, as I remember during the 2011 floods, I tried talking to my mum on my mobile, and had to scream to be heard over the noise of the rain hitting the roof. And that feeling of being cut off, when my mobile phone battery died. No-one being able to get through. The isolation.

    But the coming days ahead, will get easier. You will touch base with your neighbours again, share stories, hug and you'll find yourself connecting with your community in ways you never thought possible. Tragedy brings out the kindness in people.

    I know when you do finally have your son by your side, you will perhaps collapse from exhaustion. Sleep and don't worry about the clean up. Take care of you for a few days, when you have your son for support. You will really need it.

    Don't feel bad when the bad news starts coming in either. When I spoke to the counsellors who were stationed in our area, I told them how I had it lucky compared to some - and at least I didn't lose my life. They were very kind to me and said, fear is still fear and if I genuinely feared for my life (even though I didn't lose it) then I should take the time to honour that feeling, instead of diverting it, out of a sense of guilt I didn't lose more.

    This might not make a lot of sense now, but in the coming days ahead, it will. The feelings will come in waves - of gratitude and of guilt. They are normal. I have been praying for everyone in these areas, and know help will be at hand. :)

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  12. I have been thinking of you Nanette. How are you? I hope your son has arrived safely too. Sending you special hugs.

    Kylie

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  13. i had no idea this was to the edge of your world....
    thank you for letting me know...i think of you now,
    Beginning Again...oh, eeeee,
    Such Big Love to you, your community....

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  14. used the entire Edress as you linked, and YES, i can
    be here....

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