Brisbane Floods

Photo: Getty images

We have been looking at images of Brisbane being flooded and the disbelief is palpable. How can a city be flooded like that , we are wondering? But it is and  they are having to cope.  The last floods in Brisbane had to compete with the devastation of Cyclone Tracey in 1974 so ,many people can remember Cyclone Tracey but their memory of the Brisbane floods back then is scant or non existent. Such is weather. It seems to come in these huge destructive packages.  So we have floods in the east and fires in the west and floods down in Tasmania. The whole country is awash and battling it out. 

ABC News 24 has been invaluable and their thorough and friendly coverage has been delivered in a very competent fashion. It means we get information but so do others who need that information. There are some pretty good journalists there and the fact every press conference with Anna Bligh is properly covered and delivered in sign language is very impressive. Anna Bligh has constantly been out here in front of her people and the country telling us the truth . She is certainly not without feeling but she has operated in a very professional manner. She delivers as much information as she can and she allows people to be as informed as they possibly can be. We have also watched Julia Gillard get out here every day and go and see people and what is happening. It must give people heart to know politicians are there for them. You can see a lot of the people in the flood affected areas do not have a lot of money so recovering from this will be hard and support is essential.

The police, Red Cross and other emergency personnel have won our praise because they are managing some pretty tough stuff out there in some torrid conditions but they have always operated in a very competent fashion so that we can feel secure. Then we have helped each other by making good use of social media which has really come into its own.

We don't know how this will all be fixed but we know we just go through it one day at a time. The attitude of Queenslanders in the face of adversity is just brilliant.  They are pragmatic, down to earth and can even raise some good humour sometimes. We haven't stopped thinking about them and wish we could do more. It's not easy, that's for sure.

In time the experts are going to have to look at managing these massive volumes of water. Trouble is, it then goes into drought for years and it gets forgotten. We have to look at how we can better protect these towns and cities. it is unbelievable. So, today, we think of them all again and hope our thoughts are getting through.