THE WATERY GRAVE

“Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don’t worry... I’m here. The floodwaters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.” - Charlie Brown to Snoopy

The flood situation in Brisbane is getting worse and most of today I spent communicating with our staff there, organising and strategising, developing all sorts of contingency plans, ensuring staff were contactable through alternative emails and personal phone numbers. Also,  overseeing our Melbourne staff to see that they were coping with our Brisbane phone calls and enquiries, as all of the phone lines from Brisbane had been routed to Melbourne from earlier this morning.

Fortunately it all went well, but unfortunately, the worse is yet to come. The flood waters are expected to peak in Brisbane by tomorrow afternoon and many more people will have to abandon their homes and possessions. I only hope that we do not have any more deaths. The graphic images of people stranded on top of cars and being swept away by floodwaters is enough to haunt even the most hardened amongst us.

The Watery Grave

And as the clouds gathered,
And as the lightning flashed,
As thunder roared,
The rains came…

The watery curtains cascaded down,
The rivers flowed and overflowed,
Became torrents; creeks turned to rivers
And the floods came…

And as the waters rushed,
And as the dams gushed,
The deluge broke the barriers
And the spate came…

The water covered all
In dirty brown slough;
Making lake of land
But the rains still came…

The might of surging waters
Overwhelmed man and beast,
Dragged down buildings, destroyed;
And death came…

Now as the waters still swell,
As displaced people shiver
From shock, fear, frustration,
Grim realisation came…

Silent, sunken, submerged,
What once was dry land and
Homes, cars, gardens, dreams,
All lie under a watery grave.

My thoughts and prayers with the people of Brisbane tonight, while here we are privileged enough to enjoy a warm dry bed.

Please help if you can: Donate your time, some spare much-needed goods or some money…
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html