Soggy....oh so Soggy

The city of Brisbane is today starting to clean up the horrendous mess being revealed by yesterday's flooding. It has been a terrible few days. And even though the sun is shining today...the destruction is not over just yet. I have put some pictures up so that you can see, they are not my own pictures, but they give a good cross section of views across the city and inner city suburbs.

I was unable to get near any of the areas (except locally) to take any photos due to road closures and general chaos. Just way too dangerous to be out and about. The city centre has been without power for a few days now, bridges are closed, people are unable to get to work, supermarket shelves are empty and the list goes on.
Even for those of us who were lucky enough to be on relatively dry ground, the horror of seeing our beloved city go under has been an ordeal. I don't think there is a single person in Brisbane who has not been affected in some way.
But in typical Aussie style...people have maintained a great sense of humour. Perhaps one of the most popular photos on facebook right now is of 'king wally'.. his bronze statue stands outside Suncorp Stadium near the city heart. As the stadium (where all our footy games are held) slowly turned into a great big swimming pool of mud before our very eyes....someone adorned the statue with snorkeling gear and floaties !
There is also a photo of some very unique shoes spotted in a window somewhere in Brisbane. I think they really sum up how we are all feeling.
Me? I'm ok. I have about a foot of water under my house and mould growing on EVERY surface inside (due to the excessive dampness over the last few weeks)...but I'm safe and my family is ok.
It's just heartbreaking to see our city get trashed by mother nature in such a way. They think it will take years to fully recover.
But as I speak....power is slowly being restored to some areas and mass clean ups are starting as the Brisbane River slowly goes down, leaving behind a trail of the most putrid smelling sludge you can ever imagine.......oh it's so gross !

Photos were sourced from: http://www.triplem.com.au/ and www.facebook.com/9news

Also......please take a look at http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/floods/8196580/massive-clean-up-begins-in-brisbane

Near Coronation Drive - Inner city

Inner city..Milton suburb

New Farm on the River banks - inner city

Bulimba - inner city riverside suburb

Milton Road

Pedestrian bridge down to the bikeway that follows the river all the way into the city. Normal water edge is on the farrrr right of this picture.

Hanging on for dear life...

Shopping is a nightmare...even in the outer suburbs. There is literally nothing left.

Coles supermarkets after the water subsided..

Bikeway/walkway down the eagle street end of town.

Swollen waters were so FAST carrying with them boats, pontoons, gas tanks, fridges and more.

Western suburbs

Suncorp Stadium

Inside the stadium...they had just put down new turf/grass...which cost one million dollars !

King Wally

Queensland's newest fashion 'must have'

The river edge is usually in line with the letter T in the 'triple m' logo

My City is Drowning

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/severe-weather-warning-for-brisbane-flooding-cuts-off-coast-20090520-befd.html

As I write this, my City is flooding. I hardly have words to describe the sights I'm seeing on TV. It is surreal to think it is in my very own back yard. It makes me realise how we all see things like this on TV so often but never really 'get' what it's really like until it strikes close to home.
The last time my city suffered this kind of flooding was in 1974, when I was only a toddler...and today they are saying that the current floods are as bad, if not worse. I can hardly believe that just last year we were in the midst of the worst drought in history. Finally our poor farmers got some crops going, and now they are washed away in a wall of water.

The started as a result of a severe weather system that has drenched our 'once dry' area with so much rain over this summer that the ground is now completely saturated and unable to take much more. But the rain keeps going, and going...and it's still pouring outside. This together with massive amounts of run off water up in the ranges caused one of our regional towns - Toowoomba, to suffer what they are calling and 'inland tsunami'. This town is on a plateau, some 700m above sea level. How shocking that it has been hit so hard.
As a result the devastation is now flowing downstream, flooding all the western townships to the west of the range, and swelling the Brisbane river that flows east right through our capital. That, together with king tides filling up the river from the sea side today...is making this probably the most shockingly devastating day of Brisbane for a long long time.

My heart, thoughts and prayers are going out to all those people who have lost their homes, lost their loved ones, lost their pets and, lost their livelihoods...along with all their possessions. I feel both blessed to be dry and have a roof over my head, yet at the very same time I feel so helpless, as we all do. I look out my window at the pouring rain, and pray for my city to survive because it is such a beautiful place. Mother nature surely does work in mysterious ways.

Please take a look at the following pictures and links....this was what happened overnight.
As I write this entry, the Brisbane river is rising, houses are going under and people are fleeing the city to be home safe, or worse still...pack a few belongings and evacuate. Everyone is scared, everything is soaked and the skies are so grey and ominous. I feel sad.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshowajax/139318/floods-ravage-queensland.slideshow

http://video.theaustralian.com.au/1733787708/Brisbane-Flash-Flooding