Friday, January 14, 2011

Brisbane Flood Mop Up.

The Brisbane flood mop up is unimaginably enormous! The extension of love and help is amazing…. The stories of friends and their neighbours is enough to make the hardest heart cry; The endurance in the face of hardship an awesome inspiration. God give us grace to move through this hand in hand. For those who are fine to keep finding ways to help and show love to the bitter end, for the end has only just begun.

We are just south of Brisbane, between Ipswich and Brisbane, two of the hard hit areas. We have lived in Ipswich and had two floods there. We have been sorting clothing today as we wait for roads to open. The devastation is enormous, quite surreal - a war zone. It is the first time my children will come face to face with African type sufferings. They will see home after home destroyed.  I keep telling them that the death toll is less than a weekly death toll during apartheid unrest; the raw feelings we felt the same each week as we now feel here. I am reminded again of those who flood in the Cape with tin shacks to protect them and then consider that we are lucky really in a sense here in Australia...with the government rushing in to help where they can, with helicopters to rescue and bring food for the isolated... Yet there are no words for the heart ache  felt now, the enormity of it all.... may God help us to show Christ's love; may hearts turn to Him at this time! May God have mercy this nation!

Thank you for you loving concern and prayers, Joy

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Floods in QLD very serious

We are fine as on a hill! If anyone is desperate for a dry spot  to go to, then just  arrive on our doorstep, you'll be welcomed!

Phones are mostly down due to 'over use'. Brisbane CBD is being evacuated and Doug is safely on his way home,although he has been sitting in traffic jams for hours and will most likely still sit for hours more as everyone gets out of the way of the coming water. Part of the problem is that the Brisbane River is tidal and as we are expecting a King tide later on there is concern on top of the worry of the Weivenhoe dam's expected bursting. We have friends in flood hit areas, most are un-contactable, please pray for them. People were buying boats, rope and life jackets at our local camping shop - obviously planning to help rescue people.
This is what a friend on Face Book wrote about 5 hours ago. If you want o see what is happening close by, then google ABC News.
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8 dead & 72 missing as a result of the QLD flood disaster. Brisbane is now on alert and according to the news is under major flood threat. Wivenhoe Dam is currently at 150%. May God have mercy on this state.
 30 Suburbs of Brisbane expected to be flooded by tomorrow: Albion, Auchenflower, Bowen Hills, Brisbane City, Bulimba, Chelmer, Coorparoo, East Brisbane, Fairfield, Fig Tree Pocket, Fortitude Valley, Graceville, Hemmant, Indooroopilly, Kangaroo Point, Lytton, Milton, Moggill, Murarrie, New Farm, Newstead, Norman Park, Oxley, Pinkenba, Rocklea, Sherwood, South Brisbane, Tennyson, Yeronga, Yerongpilly, Windsor and Wacol.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Latest fashion in QLD

A friend who has had her tiny country community cut of by water sent this to me today!