It’s time to step up a notch

As a Queenslander, I have kept on the phones to family and friends – many of whom are scared and unfortunately live in flat areas. Closer to home, my mother never made it back to her house and is now held up at a friends place with the rising waters creating a situation where they now need to be evacuated. She is scared but more concerned for the young families in the area who have children. Not accepting that her home is under water, she offered any food she had in her fridge and any refuge that could be made out of her home to a nearby family who have little left. Of course, this did not eventuate because it was too late.

My best friend in West End Brisbane, a television anchor, says that walking out on the street today is quite ‘eery’. She isn’t too concerned for herself because she is that type of person and cares more for others and whether or not they will lose their homes or their lives. They have met neighbours yesterday and today that they haven’t ever spoken to in the 10 years they have lived in their houses. It really has brought the community together.

Another close friend, whose wife is also a TV anchor, read her last bulletin to double the normal audience and is 8 months pregnant. He narrowly escaped a pile of cars coming directly for his own motor vehicle when the flood first went through Toowoomba.

My brother is disconnected from his family who were visiting another brothers property and are now cut off from the rest of the world and cannot get out. At best, they will need 3 or 4 days to get out, which has now called for helicopters to come and collect them. Lucky they can afford to have such a luxury. My brother has not slept in days, helping others to safety and removing boats that are destroying important bridges that cannot be replaced so easily.

If you have some spare money, furniture or possessions, think about our fellow Queenslanders. It seems Australians are more generous towards international disasters than what is happening in our own back yards.

Your help and support is needed.Q