Queensland Floods...

8 min read

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EDIT 2: Some further reference material:

An interactive google map of Australia which shows where flooding has occurred.  It also now shows pictures taken from the ravaged lands.  I've been viewing this map quite a lot.

The following has been shamelessly copied and pasted from this old news article.

The damage bill is in the billions. Torrential rain continues to fall across Queensland and other parts of Australia. And desperate flood victims watch and wait as waters rise relentlessly, leaving devastation in their wake. Some have lost everything.

Rockhampton residents can now watch the equivalent of seven Olympic swimming pools of water flowing through swollen water channels every second.

Flood waters have surged into 40 communities, impacting 200,000 people and inundating 1200 homes. More than 4000 people have been evacuated across an area as big as NSW – and they need your help.

Here’s how you can help...


Donate online:

Make a donation to the Premier’s Disaster relief appeal using a secure payment form.


Donate by phone:

Call 1800 219 028 to donate using your credit card.


Donate in person:

Donations can be made at:
:bulletblack: Commonwealth Bank
:bulletblack: NAB
:bulletblack: Westpac
:bulletblack: ANZ
:bulletblack: BOQ (Bank of Queensland)
:bulletblack: Suncorp
:bulletblack: St.George Bank
:bulletblack: Bank SA (Bank of South Australia)
:bulletblack: Australian Central Credit Union
:bulletblack: Savings & Loans Credit Union
:bulletblack: Coles supermarket


Donate by internet banking:

The account details for donations are:
Account Name: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S

Once your transaction is complete, you should record the receipt number for your transaction. If you do not receive a receipt number, contact your financial institution.

If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, please forward a request, with proof of donation to:

Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002


Donate by mail:

You can post a cheque donation – please do not send cash.

Cheques should be made payable to:
The Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916

Cheques should be posted to:
Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002

~~~

EDIT: It's been confirmed that Partner's great-uncle and his wife have lost everything in their house.  They're now staying in their caravan which was, very luckily, on higher ground.  All other family members are good for the moment.

The death toll has risen to twelve, with a thirteenth unconfirmed - although it sounds like it's only a matter of time before it is confirmed.  The missing list continues to fall and climb again; much like the flood waters that have now shut down Brisbane centre completely.

I heard on the radio this morning that the search and rescue teams won't go out without professional snake handlers as there are snakes everywhere in and around the water line.

Partner told me about a bull shark that had been spotted in the main river in Brisbane.

There are also unconfirmed sightings of crocodiles floating down with the flood waters, but I'd be surprised if they were able to travel that far south.  Time will tell if these are only rumours.

Of course, looters are rife in the flood ravaged areas; however they risk their lives for ill-gotten gains with the carnage on the roads (which are now essentially rivers) and now the risk of ecoli in the waterways - people are apparently being told to disinfect themselves if they touch any of the flood waters.

To all Queenslanders - our thoughts are with you in this trying time.  Never give up... Never surrender... :heart:

~~~

I'm not sure how many people out there know about the disasters that have hit our country at the moment - we have bushfires roaring in the west of the country (Western Australia) and we have major floods raging in the north east of the country (Queensland).

Here in Victoria, weather people have warned us that we could experience flash flooding of our own over the next few days.

However the reason for this journal is the Queensland flood crisis that is going on as I type this.

Latest reports are that ten people have lost their lives and seventy-eight more are missing; eighteen of those are feared dead.

To give you an indication of how large scale this disaster is, it is guessed that seventy five per cent of the state has been declared a disaster zone due to "widespread and continued flooding."  To give you a better understanding of how large that area actually is, imagine both France AND Germany being underwater at the same time.  Pretty big, huh?

Other deviants have done far better journals out there to illustrate the enormity of what is going on out there at the moment.  Check them out if you can:
:iconhiddendelights: hiddendelights' journal here.
:icondarrenclarke: DarrenClarke's journal here.
and
:iconaus-art: Aus-Art has covered a TON of information in its latest journal here.

If you want information further afield, check the following links out:
:bulletblack: Brisbane City Council listings of current road closures; suburbs likely to be affected by flooding; flood maps and sandbag locations.
:bulletblack: Google Maps has produced a great (and mostly up to date) listing of which towns are affected by flood waters...
:bulletblack: ... as has the ABC Qld Flood Crisis Map that has listings of vastly different situations and where each is located; as well as links to the most up to date warnings and news links (I highly recommend this map for the most up to date info).

To reiterate some direct information listed in hiddendelights' journal:

If you need assistance or advice, call SES on 132 500.

A telephone hotline - 1300 993 191 - has been set up for people seeking information on friends and relatives caught up in the floods in the Toowoomba area.

Finally, the Queensland Premier has set up a Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. If you can, please donate to help the millions of people that have been affected.

~~~

Now, why am I writing so much about something that is happening so far away from me, and likely you?  Well, my partner's family is involved heavily in all of it.  To copy and paste a quick rundown I gave to DarrenClarke earlier today:

Uncle is stranded without power (and several kids he's looking after on his own). Great uncle and great aunt is cut off from their own home by the flood damage - they've asked their neighbours to look after their house, but it's starting to sound as though it's been taken. Mum and Dad sound like they're okay, but they're expecting to be stranded tomorrow or Thursday. Sister is cut off north of Brisbane but should be okay - her main worry is her new husband who's in the SES and has been stranded with his team. Sister's best friend and her family became isolated today.

As you can see, my partner and my thoughts are with his family at this time.  I'll keep you all updated as much as I can in this journal.
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Loriele's avatar
Hope it all comes out okay :hug: