Toowoomba Floods QLD - © 2011 ABC - Courtesy of ABC.net.au

To donate to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal, visit
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

Never before has a natural disaster been so hard to watch. I’ve always seen them on TV with a sense of detachment. Possibly as a result of watching way too many Hollywood disaster movies.

“Wow, check out that tsunami, isn’t it amazing...”

“Holy crap, that volcano is spectacular...”

“Man, those tornadoes are so mesmerizing...”

“Gees, that looks like a scene out of Armageddon...”

But as the floods take out town after town in Queensland, I can’t help but feel a deep sadness. This time the pictures on the news are of places I’ve visited and love. Brisbane is my favorite of all the cities I have visited in the world and I have contemplated making it my home on many occasions. The strange thing is, I feel more affected by this disaster than I did when my own home was threatened by the bushfires a couple of years back.

It’s doesn’t feel right to be sitting in my house in Melbourne and feeling completely helpless. I want to jump in the car, make the two day drive and help, somehow. But the reality is, I would be just as powerless to help if I was there. In fact my presence would probably be more of a hinderance.

Thankfully the people I know that live in these areas are in safe zones but there are more than one hundred missing, at this time ten have lost there lives and seventy five percent of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone.

As I watch the news, they are now giving New South Wales and Victoria severe storm warnings which will bring the threat of flash floods. I wonder what tomorrow will look like for eastern Australia. The irony is that over in the west, they are suffering bushfires.

I remember sitting with a friend about three years back. We were talking about how depressing it was that it didn’t rain any more. I recall making the comment that;

“I give this drought a few more years, then it’s gonna end with an almighty deluge of rain. You watch, our damns will fill overnight, there’ll be floods all over the place, crops will be destroyed. When the rains finally comes, it wont be a happy time...”

Well they’ve arrived and unfortunately my prediction was right.

My heart goes out to all those that have been affected. The best way that I can help right now is to raise awareness and direct you all to the “Flood Relief Appeal” where you can donate to help where some families have lost everything.

To donate to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal, visit
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html