Tonight my family is safe and sound and dry. We've been out for dinner and come home to a warm, dry house.
We are sitting here watching the live coverage of the Queensland floods. Already an area the size of France and Germany combined has flooded over the last week or so. 75% of the State has been declared a disaster zone. 10 people are dead and 78 are missing.
Over the next few days the rivers in Queensland will continue to rise. The river in Brisbane is not expected to peak for another 2 days. The last big floods were in 1974 and this is worse. Way worse.
We have family and friends in Queensland. So far everyone is okay and their homes have luckily not been affected.
I have friends in Brisbane tonight who are at home, making preparations and waiting. Waiting to see if the floods will bypass them or not. Waiting to see if they will need to evacuate. Waiting to see if their homes, workplaces, livelihoods will survive. Waiting. There's not much else they can do.
It's pretty terrible watching it on TV. I cannot even begin to imagine what it's like for the people who are living it.
It's going to take weeks, months, longer for the communities in Queensland to recovery and rebuild.
Want to do something. You can help. Make a donation to the flood appeal.
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Premiers-Disaster-Relief-Appeal/154284977953701