I've been asked by a couple of people about my family and the flooding; they're not impacted, being largely in Victoria, but I appreciate the concern.
I've spent part of the morning catching up on the news, much the same way I did during the bushfires last year. It's mind-blowing, when you see some of the footage. Cars and houses just floating past on a wave of reddish-brown water. Stories of people calling out for help from their roofs and from inside those houses floating away. 78 people are missing, with 10 confirmed dead. It's just boggling, especially when not so long ago, this very part of the country was under crippling drought.
C., my new lawyer, has family in the Lockyer Valley, one of the areas worst hit, and spent most of last night confirming they were okay. Brisbane is looking at flooding as the Brisbane River rises 4.5 metres above its normal levels. I'm hoping that the people I know in Queensland are safe and well and that they can let someone know that's the case.
For those with family in the effected regions, here's some numbers that might help:
Emergency hotlines
Info for relatives, friends on Toowoomba flash floods: 1300 993 191
Lockyer Valley Council emergency line: 1300 005 872 Those wanting to donate money to help,
there's a donation button on the top right hand corner of the Queensland Government site. The site also has a lot of good information and updates on the situation.
For those wanting to keep up with the news story,
the ABC website has a lots of stories, videos and photos.