Queensland Floods
- Thread starter barbarian
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Now SA's biggest river the Orange also in flood for the first time in many years.
The Augrabie Falls yesterday
That is crazy. Floods also in Brazil with over 200 dead.
PaarlBok
Rod McCall (65)
Saw that on the news. The Vaal goes in the Orange and is in full trottle. The southern Cape and central Karroo still in drought. Myself grew up on the banks of the Oranje and saw some big floods on my day. The Augrabie Falls is close to Upington and a spectacular like in the picture with floods.
Hey all, I haven't checked in for a few days. Busy days and early nights. a few updates via twitter and facebook.
I won't go into much as I am exhausted. Suffice to say we're all fine. In the grand scheme of things, we have come out of this very well. We'll be displaced for a little while, perhaps a month, but we have friends and neighbours who have lost the lot.
I am stunned by the sentiment of naza, and the many in agreance, as to a fund to support me, but there are so many more deserving people.
We didn't have flood insurance, but I think we'll come out well regardless. Having a father in law and brother in law who are builders (and who built our house) has proved, and will continue to prove, a huge advantage.
I have seen some horrendous stuff out there. I'll never forget swimming away from my house Wed morning, not knowing if I'd get to spend another night there, and then being shocked to reality when I realised I was swimming past the top of my street sign.
Waking up that morning and seeing how far the water had risen, was just spooky. We then sat in the street for a couple of hours just watching it advance.
Then we I returned Thursday morning, on a borrowed surfboard, it was like a hollywood movie. No one was around, just me paddling through the streets to see what damage there was.
Yesterday evening we left the house, clean, on a dingy. This morning I arrived by car and the streets were packed with cars, the footpaths were lined with destroyed furniture and the military were patrolling the streets. Patrolling, but also helping out.
I must say the Mayour Campbell Newman and the Premier Anna Bligh have been awesome, and the emergency services (police etc), the millitary have been sensational. Even the bloody surflifesavers came up from the Goldy with their rubber duckies and were patrolling the flood waters.
A humbling experience all round. A real check in. QLD will take a LONG time to recover from this one. If you feel helpless, don't worry as there will be plenty of opportunity (and need) for assistance down the track.
Again, thanks for all the support. I've been blown away by the offers. We truly are a lucky country, and a great community. And the rugby community is particularly supportive.
Cheers
Reg
I won't go into much as I am exhausted. Suffice to say we're all fine. In the grand scheme of things, we have come out of this very well. We'll be displaced for a little while, perhaps a month, but we have friends and neighbours who have lost the lot.
I am stunned by the sentiment of naza, and the many in agreance, as to a fund to support me, but there are so many more deserving people.
We didn't have flood insurance, but I think we'll come out well regardless. Having a father in law and brother in law who are builders (and who built our house) has proved, and will continue to prove, a huge advantage.
I have seen some horrendous stuff out there. I'll never forget swimming away from my house Wed morning, not knowing if I'd get to spend another night there, and then being shocked to reality when I realised I was swimming past the top of my street sign.
Waking up that morning and seeing how far the water had risen, was just spooky. We then sat in the street for a couple of hours just watching it advance.
Then we I returned Thursday morning, on a borrowed surfboard, it was like a hollywood movie. No one was around, just me paddling through the streets to see what damage there was.
Yesterday evening we left the house, clean, on a dingy. This morning I arrived by car and the streets were packed with cars, the footpaths were lined with destroyed furniture and the military were patrolling the streets. Patrolling, but also helping out.
I must say the Mayour Campbell Newman and the Premier Anna Bligh have been awesome, and the emergency services (police etc), the millitary have been sensational. Even the bloody surflifesavers came up from the Goldy with their rubber duckies and were patrolling the flood waters.
A humbling experience all round. A real check in. QLD will take a LONG time to recover from this one. If you feel helpless, don't worry as there will be plenty of opportunity (and need) for assistance down the track.
Again, thanks for all the support. I've been blown away by the offers. We truly are a lucky country, and a great community. And the rugby community is particularly supportive.
Cheers
Reg
RugbyFuture
Lord Logo
good to hear your well and (sort of) settled Reg.
T
Thomas
Guest
Has anyone else seen the great work Kevin Pietersen is doing?
http://www.kevinpietersen.com/
He has donated a signed Ashes Jersey and one of his costume cricket bats and put them up for auction.
I'm impressed by this as he's helping people he has no relation or connection too.
http://www.kevinpietersen.com/
He has donated a signed Ashes Jersey and one of his costume cricket bats and put them up for auction.
I'm impressed by this as he's helping people he has no relation or connection too.
KP does that every time he takes the field for England.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
Moses that's fucking gold mate.
Anyway, Reg it's fantastic to hear you and the family made it through this. Sucks about the house though.
Anyway, Reg it's fantastic to hear you and the family made it through this. Sucks about the house though.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
A bit of an exaggeration I would think. The gateway bridge supports would of course be designed to take a large impact loading before failure.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Spent the day in my mothers street in Graceville yesterday. I had seen it on thursday and all but 6 houses in the street were inundated to one extent or another. She was lucky in that, while it covered her whole block to just over knee height, it was 2 steps from going into the house. Many others had water to close to the ceiling level so we helped them instead.
Almost everything that has been in the water in these houses are ruined. Some of it is so caked in river silt that it is difficult to recognise. One of the houses we helped clean out belonged to an elderley lady, whose husband had been a collector of records and books. At least 80% of the books were destroyed and all of the records, and of course all the furniture and beds etc. Carpet had to be pulled out and the floor hosed and swept.
Another house belonged to a young couple where the woman was due to give birth in about a month (she wasn't there though). We just walked in and started mucking out the floors and then about half an hour later I realised I recognised one of the guys there. Turns out I went to primary school with him and it was his sister's house. Luckily, I believe these guys had flood insurance.
The scenes on the streets were amazing. At least 8-10 people working in every house, and often the owner didn't know half of them. Where there was work people went. The normally quiet residential streets were completely packed with cars. Cars trying to get down the street could barely get down it. People couldn't walk on the footpath because there was so much mud, and then later on rubbish from the houses in the way. This scene was repeated again and again. Something that is very hard to describe, but I'll try and get a photo up in the next few days.
One lady there came from Samford with her two young sons to help. She came to help my mother's neighbour but they had already had enough so just walked into the 0next house on the street. Her sons were only about 11-12 but worked the whole day carrying ruined items out of a strangers house. Our countries future is assured with young people like this around.
I saw very little 'official' help going around. Only a few army guys on the main street, however I understand that they are mainly concerned with opening up the main roads first. I also understand that Campbell Newman is organising another 4000 or so volunteers to be dispatch over the coming days, when he believes the initial momentum will start to wane. This man completely understands the situtation and goes about things in a logical and efficient way. We could do with more like him at higher levels.
I am off to Oxley this morning where a friend's sisters house went under water to halfway up the second floor. They only just managed to get back into the house yesterday afternoon, so have only managed to sort out the contents so far, so the clean up comes now. The critical thing now is to get the house dry as quick as possible so long term damage is limited to the plasterboard and floor boards. Apparently some of the boards have started to cup already.
Almost everything that has been in the water in these houses are ruined. Some of it is so caked in river silt that it is difficult to recognise. One of the houses we helped clean out belonged to an elderley lady, whose husband had been a collector of records and books. At least 80% of the books were destroyed and all of the records, and of course all the furniture and beds etc. Carpet had to be pulled out and the floor hosed and swept.
Another house belonged to a young couple where the woman was due to give birth in about a month (she wasn't there though). We just walked in and started mucking out the floors and then about half an hour later I realised I recognised one of the guys there. Turns out I went to primary school with him and it was his sister's house. Luckily, I believe these guys had flood insurance.
The scenes on the streets were amazing. At least 8-10 people working in every house, and often the owner didn't know half of them. Where there was work people went. The normally quiet residential streets were completely packed with cars. Cars trying to get down the street could barely get down it. People couldn't walk on the footpath because there was so much mud, and then later on rubbish from the houses in the way. This scene was repeated again and again. Something that is very hard to describe, but I'll try and get a photo up in the next few days.
One lady there came from Samford with her two young sons to help. She came to help my mother's neighbour but they had already had enough so just walked into the 0next house on the street. Her sons were only about 11-12 but worked the whole day carrying ruined items out of a strangers house. Our countries future is assured with young people like this around.
I saw very little 'official' help going around. Only a few army guys on the main street, however I understand that they are mainly concerned with opening up the main roads first. I also understand that Campbell Newman is organising another 4000 or so volunteers to be dispatch over the coming days, when he believes the initial momentum will start to wane. This man completely understands the situtation and goes about things in a logical and efficient way. We could do with more like him at higher levels.
I am off to Oxley this morning where a friend's sisters house went under water to halfway up the second floor. They only just managed to get back into the house yesterday afternoon, so have only managed to sort out the contents so far, so the clean up comes now. The critical thing now is to get the house dry as quick as possible so long term damage is limited to the plasterboard and floor boards. Apparently some of the boards have started to cup already.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Reg,
If you (or anyone else for that matter) need any structural items on the house assessed please feel free to PM me to arrange an inspection. I am a partner in a structural engineering firm that specialises in domestic structures and we are happy to give advice to anyone that requires it.
If you (or anyone else for that matter) need any structural items on the house assessed please feel free to PM me to arrange an inspection. I am a partner in a structural engineering firm that specialises in domestic structures and we are happy to give advice to anyone that requires it.
Fine Mr Wet Blanket he was a guy doing his normal job.
The tug boat skipper took it upon himself to navigate up a river full of debris to guide a 1000 tonne walkway safely onto a mudbank, I reckon that's a pretty stand up thing to do. Add to this he's not after attention, it's politicians calling for him to be recognised.
Surely if the walkway hit the bridge, it would have broken into smaller pieces to float down the river and cause some real damage?
Surely if the walkway hit the bridge, it would have broken into smaller pieces to float down the river and cause some real damage?
Aussie D
Dick Tooth (41)
My brother made the front page of his local paper:
Spot on Moses, I saw him interviewed and he didn't want a part of it.
Sent from my Android using Tapatalk
Set piece magic
John Solomon (38)
good evening everyone first post for a while due to holidays and flood! Brisbane has taken a beating, i was very fortunate that when dad bought the house fifteen years ago he was skeptical about the dam (in his own words, what if it just keeps coming?) and bought our house on the high side of graceville. I've been helping out down the hill there in chelmer, tennyson and graceville and it's a mess. my friends house had to be stripped bare, all the gybrock taken out ect. the smell is putrid, there's a park near the local school called falkner park, it still has a big puddle of water 50 x 50 m and you'll vomit if you don't hold your nose shut. Lot's of dead fish. I went for a walk past there along through to the boat park in tennyson, which is a real mess (riverfront properties devastated). Hate to see what GT's fields are looking like at the moment. The army rolled on in yesterday and started clearing roads, helping out ect, but it's a big job and taking forever. Have lot's of pics that i will upload soon.
scotty said something about the lowerside of the area being thrashed and he's right. you go there and almost all of the houses have been inundated. My primary school friend who lives in harte street (was on the news the other night) had water up to his roof. People would say that's going to take 5 months to fully clean up but it won't. Reason being: there was 40 people working on it. Everyone from across town is helping. when we took out the walls it took 10 minutes - 40 people breaking stacking and taking buckets full of the stuff out. i meant to take a photo of the waste - its a wall outside their home. best wishes to all
scotty said something about the lowerside of the area being thrashed and he's right. you go there and almost all of the houses have been inundated. My primary school friend who lives in harte street (was on the news the other night) had water up to his roof. People would say that's going to take 5 months to fully clean up but it won't. Reason being: there was 40 people working on it. Everyone from across town is helping. when we took out the walls it took 10 minutes - 40 people breaking stacking and taking buckets full of the stuff out. i meant to take a photo of the waste - its a wall outside their home. best wishes to all
Scotty
David Codey (61)
The guy is awesome, no question, and it is the pollies that are exaggerating. Telling people the bridge could have been in trouble otherwise is not the most sensible thing to do and gives the wrong impression about its ability to withstand these forces.
There is bugger all downstream of the bridge, and as the river gets wider it would also get slower so it is unlikely any additional damage would be done.
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