Friday, January 14, 2011

And the waters retreat...




The flood waters peaked yesterday, but are receeding now. People are starting to be able to go back to their homes, and the news crews are showing footage of all the destruction the water has done to so many houses. Power is apparently starting to be reinstated to the central business district of Brisbane, and to the 120,000 homes that were cut off for the last few days. And a lot of the major roads and highways are still impassable, simply due to the massive amounts of stinking black sludge the waters have left behind.







There have been so many sad sad stories to come out of this flood. The one I mentioned in the post below about the family trapped on their car roof that the rescue helicopter lost sight of, had a bittersweet ending. At last word they managed to find the mother and the son a few kilometers down stream, but no sign of the father yet. Another death occurred when a rescue worker was helping evacuate a family and a 4 year old boy fell from the boat. It really is quite horrendous. And kind of surreal for me. I know that this is MY city. I know all the places they show on TV - I've been there, had a meal there, done shopping there, taken Chelsea to the park there - but because we were up high and dry, and we didn't see the floods first hand, it feels like it is happening somewhere else. (These photos were taken from the Brisbane Floods facebook page - everyone got together and shared photos and information. It was pretty amazing.)

So while Mark has been home (the city went into a bit of a shutdown - people couldn't get anywhere, food was scarce, employees were told to stay with their families), and we've been watching the constant footage, I managed to get that Mongolian Wool bear done. I've named her 'Jindalee' after one of the suburbs that got hit really badly.




The weather is beautiful today, with just a slight breeze. But as Jindalee's stunning fur is so soft and light, it only took a slight breeze to make getting a good photo of her rather tricky! She's now on bearpile, ready to face the world!

9 comments:

  1. I am so glad you and your family are ok Emma. The people of Australia have been in my thoughts. Thanks for the update.
    Thank goodness your little one decided to stay put for just a while longer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Goodness, I can't imagine what it's like there. I'm so thankful that you are all safe and sound. As I've watched the horror there, I've kept hoping that your little bundle will wait a bit longer for the big appearance--until things are a tad more stable in the area. Thank goodness! Ah, 'tis good, 'tis good!
    Heaps of Hugs,
    Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  3. the one i have heard today is a brave little boy story wish the rescuer to save his family first... instead of himself...sigh! He's a little angel in our hearts.
    emma, great to know you and your bears are not wet, see Jindalee at bearpile :)

    hugs,
    susana

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad you and your family are safe.The bear turned out adorable.Hope things dry out for you soon it's such a beautiful country.Warm Blessings!~Amy

    ReplyDelete
  5. O`my, I didn`t realize you really live in Brisbane area! I am so happy you are OK with the Family! And the bear; Jindalee is gorgeous! Love her!

    ReplyDelete
  6. this little one turned out to be beautiful....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey guys, I must say I was quite happy bub decided to stay put through all of this as well! One of those days we would have had a hell of a time getting from our house to either of our closest hospitals! But he seems quite content... a little too content perhaps! :P

    ReplyDelete
  8. So very sorry to see and hear all that we have here....
    No words can possible say how sad it is....

    ReplyDelete
  9. that is so sad and scary! my thoughts and prayers are with them! glad to hear you and your family are ok. adorable new bear! love the long fur! big huggs!

    ReplyDelete