Rebecca Gap Year: Brisbane’s Shock Floods

Three days ago I rushed to the shops to buy some Aloe Vera for my sunburn; today I hurried to the same store, only this time it was to fill my trolley with emergency supplies for the floods about to hit Brisbane.

As some of you may have seen on the news, Queensland has been experiencing ‘biblical’ floods since Christmas, leaving the city of Rockhampton almost completely submerged underwater. At that point, we were still basking in glorious sunshine down here in Brisbane, and those floods seemed so far away from home. I was too busy relaxing on the beach and visiting beautiful places such as the city of Toowoomba, which sits just 60 miles west of Brisbane. Just two weeks later, although it is situated on the top of a mountain, Toowoomba experienced what people are calling an ‘instant inland tsunami’ 8 metres tall. The rising floods have claimed 22 lives, and have left 56 people unaccounted for.

32 Brisbane suburbs are now on high flood alert, and the centre of the city has been evacuated after the Brisbane River burst its banks due to an overflowing dam. Weather like this has not been seen since floods in 1974, and before that in 1891, leaving many unfortunate communities unprepared for the flash floods that so suddenly struck. It may take years for Queensland to recover from these floods, but if anyone can unite and rebuild their communities, it’s the Aussies! Everyday neighbours are becoming state-wide heroes as they risk their lives with the State Emergency Services; you have to admire the bravery of those volunteers.

I feel so fortunate to be in one of the few areas that are predicted to be almost totally unaffected by the water pouring in to the city. As suburbs around mine have been gradually evacuated, it has made me realise just how lucky I am to live in a country generally safe from natural disasters back home in the UK. Cyclones, earthquakes, flash floods and similar terms are only heard on the news back in Billericay, yet so many parts of the world are often destroyed due to the unrelenting ferocity of Mother Nature. With such events so close right now, it has really brought home to me just how much support and finance the victims of these disasters really need. It is so easy to sit back, watch the news reports, and instead spend our money on a night out or the latest Xbox game. This week’s paycheck may be small, but I know that I will be donating some of it to the thousand of people who need the money so much more than I do right now.