An anniversary

Norman Park, January 12 2011 - bottom of my sister's street

I've been wanting to write something about the January 2011 floods that so badly affected Brisbane and south-east Queensland in general. It's proving more difficult than I thought. I was not physically affected by the floodwaters, but I saw many friends, family, colleagues and patients lives turned upside down by the event.

It was truly surreal. Where I was living at the time was a fair way out of the city, and apart from the incessant rain, there was no evidence of any impending doom. As I travelled to work in the inner city, it was like looking at something out of a movie - the swollen river, pontoons and broken boats being carried out towards Moreton Bay if they weren't smashing against bridge pylons, floodwaters slowly creeping their way into the streets and buildings around the city.

The hospital I work at was not flooded although streets surrounding it were temporarily flooded when the river peaked. I had coworkers stranded at work for days because they were cut off from their homes, and others who were isolated at their houses by the water. The Exhibition grounds nearby became an evacuation centre, and the stories people needing medical treatment would tell of being rescued by boat in nearby suburbs was mindblowing.

I was in the process of buying a unit in what turned out to be one of the worst hit suburbs. Settlement was actually due the day the river peaked, January 12 - cancelled when the CBD and therefore the bank it was to happen at were evacuated. Fortunately the property was fine but that was a little extra unwanted stress. The local shopping centre was seriously inundated and was closed for nearly 6 months. There are still houses around the area that are unlived in or still undergoing renovation. Up until around 2 months ago there were still broken pontoons in trees and on the river banks around Graceville and Tennyson.

Looking at videos and photos now, I remember how bad it was and how scared some people in the city were. I can't even imagine how those out in the Lockyer Valley must have felt. I guess what I take from it now is that it could have been so much worse. The river peaked lower than it did in the 1974 flood. The generosity of the residents of Brisbane was phenomenal and unexpected. And Anna Bligh was a hero (for a little while anyway). People didn't lose their sense of humour along the way either - evidenced by the King Wally statue outside Suncorp Stadium with floaties, a snorkel and boardies. At least if something similar happens in this lifetime, we may be a little more prepared for it. But we won't ever forget the experience.

Five minutes up the road from me - January 12 2011.
Photo courtesy of Neil Ross, redbubble.com