A shock, one year ago

This day last year the town I grew up in was cut in half by an unexpected flash flood, likened by many to an "inland tsunami". My home town is 691m above sea level and over 120km from the coast. Occasionally they get tiny flash floods, but that usually only cuts a couple of roads. I don't think anyone has ever seen a flood like this in that town. 


That afternoon I innocently flicked the computer on and checked Facebook, not expecting any drama. Therefore it was shocking to see cars and shipping containers being flipped around on the main streets of my home town! It gutted the main shopping precinct of the town, but thankfully not too many houses. Still, more than a dozen died. Here was my blog post at the time.


Here's a short video summary:
http://video.couriermail.com.au/2184861262/A-flood-of-memories
I found this timeline online (from The Telegraph) for the period leading up to the flood:

September-November 2010: After years of devastating drought, the La Nina weather phenomenon drenches the northeastern state of Queensland with its wettest spring on record.

December 2010: Torrential rains and flooding damage crops and close a coal mine. Six people die, including three trapped in cars and a girl, 17, whose foot is stuck between rocks as the waters rise.

December 25: Tropical Cyclone Tasha makes landfall near Cairns in the early hours of Christmas Day, bringing rainfall of six to 10 inches.

December 28: Disaster declared in several southern Queensland towns, where flooding prompts mass evacuations. A 50-year-old man dies after being swept off a footbridge by floodwaters.

December 30: The town of Bundaberg north of Brisbane experiences its worst flooding in decades, with about 300 homes inundated.

January 2: Floods affect 22 towns as the crisis reaches "biblical" proportions, according to the Queensland state treasurer. A woman dies after her car is swept from the road.

January 3: Residents of Rockhampton flee their homes as the city of 75,000 is almost entirely cut off by rising floodwaters. The raging waters claim two more lives.

January 5: Officials say floods have inundated or cut off 40 townswhile dozens of coal mines are flooded.

January 8: Police recover the body of a young woman who drowned after going swimming with friends, bringing the death toll to 11.

January 10: Nine die including four children and 59 are missing when flash floods smash the mountainside town of Toowoomba (Wendy's home town) and surrounding areas.

January 11: Officials warn the death toll is likely to rise as continuing rain and washed-away roads hamper rescue efforts.

This was published before Ipswich and the state capital Brisbane flooded later in the week. And the suburb we'd lived in only six months previously had their entire business district under metres of water.

Needless to say, this was a shocking start to the year. Little did we know of the shocks that were waiting for us later in the year.  Shocks that were even greater than these.

Nevertheless, Queensland had their own tragedy this time last year. There is no point in comparing it to any one else's tragedy. Lives lost, are lives lost. Each one precious.