Brisbane, Rain, and the year 1974

In Sydney, we had been reading reports regarding the flood 'situation' in Queensland. Small towns were being devastated, and the military was being flown in to assist the residents. TV telethons with Australia's biggest stars were being planned, and the national news offered occasional coverage of the floods. With that being said, there was no indication that Brisbane and its nearby suburbs would be hit hard. So I purchased my $79 dollar ticket, and got on a plane to Brisbane.

Brooke Alexander (usually known as "Chooksie") is one of my favourite people in the world. I can safely say this even though I haven't seen her for 5 years. I often wondered how so much love could come out of one human being. Well, I can say this; after being picked up from the airport by her parents, Jeannine and Rob, I understand where it came from.

As I exited the plane, I saw two adult figures dancing away with excitement. In the car ride, we hadn't even left the airport parking lot when they saw a lonely backpacker looking lost and confused. They pulled up to the young boy, turned out to be a German traveller named Marvin, and demanded that he hop into the car. We drove him to a hostel called the "Yellow Submarine" and then we were on our way; Jeannine sternly warned him "Don't get into any more cars with any more strangers."

Jeannine and Rob have four children. Brooke, Dane, Bill, and Joe. None of the children were home that evening, so I was the first of what is to be a glorious parade. Over the following days, Bill and Joe, (the youngest of the children) both returned, and the house is becoming more and more occupied. Dane and Chooksie are going to be here as well, in little over a week. The excitement level within this house is magical; unfortunately, there are natural forces at work that are out of our control.

The flood crisis has hit Brisbane incredibly hard. The television and radio stations are covering the crisis live 24 hours a day. The downtown core is empty, the buildings have had their power cut off, and emergency crews are everywhere. Two of my other friends have already had to evacuate (we are luckily on higher ground) and the outlook is getting gloomier and gloomier.

My initial prospect of living and working here may need some re-adjustment, but at this point it is too early to tell. Either way, as grim as the situation is outside, I applaud the positivity of the Alexanders in their loving home. Jeannine especially, is a beacon of love and energy, which makes life in a crisis, feel safe as can be.

P.S. You are probably wondering why I included the year 1974 in this post's title. I simply included it because I have never heard the word "1974" said so often in such a short period. This is because there was a similar flood in 1974, which crippled a much less populated Brisbane at the time. This flood is easily going to eclipse that flood in terms of devastation, according to the local media.