As we were looking at the tip of India in Kumarakom, the Hindu's newspaper first page, a leading national paper, was not re-assuring. This house, pictured on the front page, looked very familiar and resembles a lot the houses in my street.
We checked our mobile text messages, anxious to find a text from our neighbours about an 'emergency situation' for our house as well.
Fortunately, when we arrived in Brisbane (on the 20th),
(1) we could reach our house form the airport easily - that being the first concern, and
(2) the house was standing proud, not even a leak in the roof.
We knew the risk was not so high in the area we were living in since we are 'on the hills'. Nevertheless some people in Chapel Hill did get flooded, and many school friends families of the children from Fig Tree Pocket area got evacuated, some hosted in school grounds.
As a result some schools had to open their door a bit later for the first day of school normally this week. Oscar's friend (Liam) parents, in Kenmore, said they were stranded in their house like on an island for two days, surrounded by water and no electricity to communicate with anyone, not knowing 'for how long'. Family members would find themselves 'struck' in other parts of town, not being able to reach back home, having to rely on friends or else to host them for the night.
One neighbour said jokingly they had been happy to 'steel' (:) our cucumbers in the garden, because at one stage, they were afraid they would not get access to fresh food easily. Some fights over 'who takes too many loaves of bread' had erupted in the local Kenmore Plaza supermarket, and as a result, the supermarket was closed. Large queues were seen in petrol stations as some people started to panic and there was fear that trucks would not be able to reach supermarkets.
Fortunately, it did not last very long, and there are also lots of stories of bravery in the papers.
It was only two week ago, and already people do not talk about it, it is 'just what happens', and every one moves on.
Australian have seen it before. This flash flooding occurrence happens every forty years (see news archives).
As for us, we were so lucky we were in India during that time!
