Poor Mouse

Poor Mouse.  I was so excited when he agreed to come to Brisbane for Christmas.  It was going to be our first Aussie Christmas; our first winter holidays in the southern hemisphere.  After a lifetime of spending December swathed in cold and snow, I looked forward to such unfamiliar territory.  He was hesitant, thanks to the exorbitant tickets prices, but I persisted.   I sold him my fantasy of us lazing about the beach, drinking cold beer, and frolicking in the sand and waves.  I talked about nothing but the imminent sunshine and surf.  Finally, he caved, and I started planning.  I booked a hotel room on the Gold Coast and a campsite in Byron Bay. (At $64 per day, no less!)  After tiring of the beach, we were meant to head inland for a little mountain hiking, wine tasting, and more camping.  Of course, none of that happened.  Instead, we got rain, rain, and more rain. 

Like I said… Poor Mouse.  He flew halfway across the world to get stuck in three continuous weeks of rain.  Sure, we had the hotel room on the Gold Coast, but were stuck inside it the entire time; not exactly the sand-laden days we had dreamt of.  Our campsite in Byron was flooded.  And heading inland was out of the question; that entire region had been cut off from civilization, thanks to the heavy rains.  Instead, we spent most of our holidays stuck in the apartment, watching bad television.  And then there were the floods…  Needless to say, this certainly wasn’t the tropical paradise retreat I imagined it to be.  Mouse finally left this Wednesday, nearly moldy from all the rain, and with a bad taste of Australia in his mouth.  After all of this disappointment, I may just owe him a weekend in Mexico.

I Survived the Queensland Flood of 2011

As predicted, the Brisbane River continued to rise Wednesday night and into the wee hours of Thursday morning.  By the time it peaked around 3 am, three-quarters of Brisbane was underwater, with more than 26,000 homes and 5,000 businesses flooded.  Luckily, my friend and I managed to remain dry.  Her house in East Brisbane sits high on a hill, so it maintained a safe distance from the flood waters that engulfed houses only a couple of streets away.  We were incredibly lucky.  So many others were not.  Officials are now calling this the largest, most destructive natural disaster in Queensland history.  The images on on the news are heartbreaking.  So many people have lost absolutely everything.  As I toured the city yesterday, I was astounded by extent of the damage.  The Central Business District was a ghost town.  The Eagle Street Pier, a usually bustling restaurant district, was completely submerged.  The football stadium has become a giant swimming pool.  My old neighborhood is in ruins; our local shopping center flooded even before the river peaked.  My apartment building's underground parking lot is filled with dirty flood water.  Parts of the River Walk, where I went on my daily runs,  are totally flooded out; other parts broke off all together and were swept away towards the ocean.  I couldn't even get back to New Farm Park, as the flood waters were still too high.  And other neighborhoods were hit even harder.  In Rosalie, I saw people kayaking down what used to be a street so they could check on their house.  It was the same story in other neighborhoods, too.  I've never seen anything like it.  What a way to spend my last days here in Australia!!!

Flood Update - I'm Still Dry

Today, of all days, was sunny.  It was ironic, really.  We haven't seen the sun in weeks, and today, when the flooding is beginning to take its toll, it came out in full force.  I got Mouse to the airport before the roads were closed.  We said our good-byes, thinking that this whole "flood thing" was being blown out of porportion.  We were SOOOO wrong.  By the time I made it back to the apartment, my neighborhood was akin to a war zone.  Everyone was preparing for the impending flood.  People had moving trucks.  Helicopters were flying overhead.  Officials were making announcements on bullhorns.  Luckily, my lease was up today.  I cleared my apartment and got out just in time.  By this afternoon, the water level rose to chest-deep levels.  I've taken refuge on higher ground with a friend, so I'm safe, but can barely believe the pictures I'm seeing.  This entire city is becoming submerged.  It's astounding.  The devestation is incredible.  I hope my neighbors are OK.  The river isn't expected to peak until the wee hours of the morning, so we will be on guard until then.  For now, all we can do is sit and wait.  This certainly isn't what I expected from the final days of my Aussie adventure, but there isn't much I can do about it now.  I will continue to keep everyone as up-to-date as possible.

We're Still OK

OK. So maybe I was a little cocky before.  I didn't really think the flooding would hit Brisbane.  I saw all of the devestation in the rural, outlying areas and felt bad for everyone, but none of it really hit home.  But today, we went into the grocery store for some paper towels and entered into sheer madness.  The shelves were swept clean and people had a crazed look about them.  When we asked what they were frantic about, they answered that the floods were coming.  And they are.  Buildings have sandbags around them.  Everyone is stocked up.  We're waiting for the floods.  We're OK for now.  The river is holding steady.  Tomorrow may be a different story, though.  Luckily, I live on the second level of an apartment building.  It it gets too bad, I will head down to the Gold Coast with a friend.  So, please don't worry.  We're still OK.  I will continue to provide updates as I'm able.

No End in Sight

Another day of rain.  Another day of being stuck in our apartment.  And just when I think it cannot possibly rain any harder, it does.  Today, I saw the skies open up and dump water onto the city with frightening ferocity.  I’ve heard of small flash floods scattered throughout Brisbane and the odd street closure, but I still haven’t seen any flooding in our neighborhood.  So, for now, we can count ourselves among the lucky.  Another system is moving in, though, and this rain isn’t predicted to end any time soon, so who knows what tomorrow will bring?  All I know is that we’re not going to dry out anytime soon.

Rainy Days Really Do Get Me Down

I’m becoming incredibly anxious and antsy.  I can’t sit still.  I’ve even started picking on Mouse out of sheer boredom.  I feel like a prisoner, thanks to this rain, which just keeps coming and coming.  I’m not kidding; it never stops.  It won’t be long before I start pacing the length of my tiny apartment.  I’m slowly being driven to insanity by this constant deluge.  I don’t do well in confined spaces and am even worse when forced into laziness.  One day of veging on the couch and watching movies is one thing.  Doing the same day in and day out is more than I can handle. I’m going batty.  I try to remind myself that we’re the lucky ones.  We’ve, thus far, avoided the flooding devastating cities around us, but even that knowledge doesn’t do much to quell my crazies.  I wish the sun would come out, even if just for a little while.  I wish the rain would stop holding me prisoner in my own apartment.  I wish there were something for me to do, besides whine and complain, because, after all, we are still safe and sound.  I should be counting my blessings.

Status Update - We're OK

My phone rang unexpectedly yesterday morning.  It was my mom.  As soon as she heard my voice, she broke down into tears, which took me completely by surprise.  I seriously had no idea what could be causing her so much concern.  As soon as she caught her breath, she explained that the American news was placing Brisbane as the epicenter for the flooding on Australia's southeast coast.  I reassured her we were quite safe and nowhere near the flooding, which is the absolute truth.  We've been lucky.  Brisbane isn't underwater.  It hasn't experienced any of the flooding that has been devastating cities around us.  We, too, see the images on the news and are astounded by the extent of the damage.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced out of their homes and into emergency shelters.  Entire towns are completely submerged, and the water levels haven't even peaked yet.  It's scary stuff.  But it's all happening hundreds of kilometers north, south, and west of us.  We may be stuck in never-ending rainstorms, but we've managed to stay relatively dry.  So, don't worry about us.  We're OK.

Counting My Blessings

I am feeling like the world’s biggest brat today.  I’ve been whining, complaining, and feeling just plain sorry for myself because of the massive amounts of rain we’ve been dealing with for the last month.  Sure, the constant wetness is depressing and we had to forgo our beach days and camping trips, but this is nothing compared to what more than 200,000 other Queensland residents are dealing with.  We are the lucky ones.  We are safe and haven’t been affected by the flooding that seems to be occurring everywhere around us.  More than 20 towns have either been flooded or cut off from the rest of civilization due to the flooding.  Cars have been swept away as roads transformed into rushing rivers.  People have lost their homes, their farms, and their livelihoods.  They have lost everything; their lives have been turned upside down.  Some towns are being evacuated, while others are hoping supplies can be airlifted in.  One government official described the disaster as having reached “Biblical proportions.”  After seeing the shocking images on the news, I can believe it.  The damage is astounding.  So, while I was worried about my perfect Christmas plans being thwarted, others were dealing with complete and utter devastation.  Just thinking about their losses helps put things into perspective.  Missing out on a couple of days of sunbathing is nothing in comparison.  Now can you see why I’m feeling so bratty?