Elizabeth January 14th, 2011

My heart has felt very heavy this week.

Back home in Queensland, where I grew up, an area the size of France and Germany combined has been declared a disaster zone. 21 days of flooding culminated a few days ago in a devastating inland tsunami through my old town of Toowoomba, and then engulfed my beautiful Brisbane.

The news coverage has been – for better or worse – truly overwhelming. I’ve found it difficult to tear myself from the TV each night, and at work I’m really distracted by all the new stories coming through. My family and friends in Brisbane and Toowoomba have been using Facebook to share their personal accounts, and while all of my immediate family are safe and dry, many of my old friends are facing months of hardship as the damage is revealed.

Entire suburbs were submerged yesterday.

Right now, there have been 15 confirmed deaths with another 51 people missing – in some cases, entire families. I fear that there will be a sharp increase in the death toll as the water subsides and reveals muddy graves. I worry that a lot of avoidable deaths are ahead because of accidents with electricity or disease.

In my case, it’s been particularly weird to see footage of areas that I know like the back of my hand. There’s the restaurant where we celebrated my 21st birthday, which literally floated down the river before crashing into a bridge. My local McDonalds, filled to the rooftop with muddy water and accessible only by canoe. The rows and rows of rooftops, like tips of an iceberg.

It just makes me feel sick.

My mum’s good friend is anxiously awaiting news of her sister in law, who is on the missing person’s list. Another body from that area was discovered today 80km from home. Can you even imagine?

The spirit of the those affected has been astounding. There has been very little talk of lost possessions, just relief for safe loved ones. Stories of heroism are beginning to emerge, such as the 13 year old boy who insisted that his brother be rescued first. This decision ultimately cost him his own life.

Stories like this are teaching me some good lessons about what matters, and what matters most.

Please donate to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal if you have anything to spare.

I wish I was there to do more.

• Australia , Life
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