Houseguests? How many, I wonder?
Hello from the flooded wastelands of Queensland. I live in Brisbane and yesterday was the worst day of my life.

It started like any other day in the past month. I dropped my husband off at the bus station and spent the morning running errands, dragging two grumbling kids, in the torrential downpour that has become a regular fixture in our lives of late. The first sign that something was seriously wrong was a lack of signal on my mobile phone when I tried to check in with my husband.

Odd, I thought.

The next sign was when I overheard a whispered conversation between two shop employees. "The city has been evacuated."

Which city? I wondered. I assumed the two people had family in one of the many cities in the North which is being evacuated by the Army.

I get home, and the phone rings. It's my mother. She tells me that the city being evacuated is Brisbane. She's heading home. I wish her luck and tell her to call me as soon as she can. I call my husband at his office. No answer. I try his mobile. No signal. I check the email. Nothing.

I turn on the news. Fuck. Me. Devastation on a scale that I cannot summon the talent to describe to you. I heard the words of the Hindenburg announcer. "Oh the humanity." So sudden and so devastating.

The next five hours were the longest of my life. When my husband arrived at the door, drookit and with a solemn face, I felt the most intense sensation of relief of my life. He had walked 15 kilometers to get home, some of it through fast running water.

His story was of an entire city's rapid descent into chaos. He saw people punching each other for a place in a public transport queue that was 150 deep waiting for buses and trains that never came. The Army was on the ground. Evacuation centers have been established.

My Mum's still caught in that, I thought.

Two hours later, the phone rings. It's Mum. She's almost hysterical with relief. Her house is fine. Her cat is pissed at her. All is well.

So now we all knuckle down and see just how big this flood is going to be. The flood waters will probably peak in two days time.

So back to the house guests. We are on a hill. Our nearby family will be coming to us if they have to evacuate. We have 140 litres of drinking water, 3000 litres of rainwater and pool which will soon be used as our laundry and bathroom. I just hope it's enough.

I am caught between dreading the influx of reluctant house guests and welcoming the added manpower to see off looters.

The power is probably going to be shut off soon. Wish us luck.

UPDATE: Power just came back on. Yay! Brisbane river peaked today. Hopefully it's just a wait-and-see job and then a massive cleanup. Thanks for your support people. It means a lot.
(Que?, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 0:48, 22 replies)

Good luck indeed.
That sounds horrible, it's getting lots of coverage on the news here in the UK. Makes our recent snow chaos look like a walk in the park.

EDIT: Probably not top of your to-do list right now, but this current BBC News article has a link at the bottom asking for eyewitness reports from Brisbane...
(WillI'mNot logs in twice a year, every year, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 0:51, closed)

Good luck, looks like a total hell out there at the moment.
(myriad, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 0:53, closed)

Good luck
Looks bloody terrible out there, stay safe.
(Sadarse works like Mist condensing mud flaps, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 2:16, closed)

Good luck.
Now I feel bad for complaining about the pissing drizzle in Sydney...
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Wed 12 Jan 2011, 2:29, closed)

For fuck's sake,
the lengths you lot'll go to to stop us gloating about the cricket.

I hope looters don't steal your pool.
( Sea Tramp the thinking woman's 8 Ace, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 4:39, closed)

*guilty laughs*

( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 14:10, closed)

Good luck
Good luck to you! The use of the word drookit makes me wonder if you're originally Scottish by any chance?
(willydoc, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 6:25, closed)

Be safe.
Seeing the world from a rooftop (not a usual vantage point for any of us really) is very strange I must say. I could see most of the Isa underwater in 82-83 from our rooftop. Hope you're in a safe place.
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Wed 12 Jan 2011, 6:48, closed)

Fuck me
I'm never going to complain about my day ever again.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 8:32, closed)

Yeah, best of luck
I remember the feeling when a lot of the UK got flooded (2006ish?). You just have to watch the rain falling, knowing there is nothing anyone can do about it, and hope.

Hope it all goes way soon.
( Not Pineapple anymore, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 8:48, closed)

2007
I was stuck in Derby for a good few hours thanks to that one.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Wed 12 Jan 2011, 10:40, closed)

you poor bastard
i hope you got over that
(Monkeystrumpet monkey. Monkey, MONKEY!!!, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 11:59, closed)

I went there once
What's it for?
( rofl harris, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 12:04, closed)

It's designed
So that Wakefield doesn't seem so bad.
( Undercovercarrot got done for gross misconduct on..., Wed 12 Jan 2011, 16:27, closed)

I live in Wakefield.

( jim_bob can herd cats., Wed 12 Jan 2011, 18:10, closed)

Shit.
Good luck, I hope everything goes well for you and your mother is ok.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 11:16, closed)

yah good luck
my best pal moved to ipswich four weeks ago to do some doctoring abroad. Her hospital's now surrounded by raging water and she's had to evacuate, leaving most of her stuff to the floods. Tis no fun whatsoever, particularly as she moved from Scotland for the weather...
(jennymnemonic, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 11:23, closed)

Good luck
I hope everyone stays safe.
( awayfromthenumbers, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 11:33, closed)

Aaaaaand, I'm done. Damn, I LOVE MetPorn.
Ta for that.
:D

good luck koala-molester, hope your house is fine
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Wed 12 Jan 2011, 12:10, closed)

Good luck
I've been reading about your situation on the bbc, it's truly horrific. Makes me feel stupid for complaining about the drizzle here. Hope you and your family stay safe and that it's all over soon.
(Petite chien is going to do science to it, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 12:37, closed)

Good luck - I'm sure everyone's thoughts are with you.
(epinephrine, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 12:48, closed)

Dammit
I feel so cheap now for posting a pun.

Especially because it wasn't a very good one.

Good luck, mate.
( ousgg is not seeking approval, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 12:51, closed)

Luck
Try to keep you head above water, literally.

Hope you have enough food and drinking water for a few days. Canned goods are your friend if your leccy goes off.
Camping stove? BBQ?

Hope it all goes okay for you.
(SpangoTheWonderBadger is brewing beer, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 13:15, closed)

Board games, pillows, and rope.
If you can still get through to the people who may be evacuating to your home, make sure they have a few board games and extra pillows handy in their emergency "time to run" kit. It'll definitely help with the comfort level, the keeping warm, the having a place to sit and having something to do. Extra flashlights and batteries if they can manage. Also, if you intend on doing laundry in your pool, have a rope handy for a makeshift clothesline indoors as I doubt things will dry very well in the rain. Try to make the best of a bad situation, and think of the great stories you'll have when it's all over and done with.
(Turtlenuts, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 14:02, closed)

the very best of luck to you
and, if i may make a suggestion, make sure you've got lots of toilet paper.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 18:46, closed)

Brisbane is luckier than Toowoomba
At least the folks in Brissy had time to prepare.
(Perv With A Dog had his eyes pecked out by scrub jays on, Wed 12 Jan 2011, 23:09, closed)

As a survivor of the May Floods That Washed Stuff Away In Tennessee, I can definitely sympathize. Make sure you have water and food, don't go near the shops and enjoy your reading time. Batteries, radio (weather radio ftw!) and all that fun stuff.

Also, for the love of all things shiny and good, don't let your offspring/loved ones/anyone whatsoever you give a damn about go out swimming in it. Really. There's more sewage floating around in the flood water than the last time the House of Commons organised a swim-meet.
(Gonkers Mcfoo, Thu 13 Jan 2011, 4:16, closed)

As a survivor of the May Floods That Washed Stuff Away In Tennessee, I can definitely sympathize. Make sure you have water and food, don't go near the shops and enjoy your reading time. Batteries, radio (weather radio ftw!) and all that fun stuff.

Also, for the love of all things shiny and good, don't let your offspring/loved ones/anyone whatsoever you give a damn about go out swimming in it. Really. There's more sewage floating around in the flood water than the last time the House of Commons organised a swim-meet.
(Gonkers Mcfoo, Thu 13 Jan 2011, 4:16, closed)