Glad to hear that you didn't fare too badly, and that you made some new neighbourhood friends.

Yes Susan, a good old disaster just to bring the community together,mmmmm.....its too bad some wont be enjoying your delight, and some from the future that just don't know their dead yet, wont be enjoying it either. The infrastructure in the country is beyond a joke. Then the Government wants to increase the number of people here so more can bond ( here or in the after life ) Oh dear. Well my friend.....for what we are seeing around the world ( weather wise ) GW...you wont be have any problems there.

However, for those that got in and helped, I think a huge golf clap is in order.

I wonder if I should start building my ark now or later:)

6 billion repair bill, and the dead, and all are still seeing the bright side.......you just have to love Australia.

BLUE

Hi Deep Blue,
From where I am sitting now writing this I can see out of my window houses surrounded by complete disaster with the attendant chaos that means for their occupants. Lives have been turned upside down and, yes, some have been lost. The smell of rotting food hangs in the air. If it weren't for trying to see the positives then we would all be in the depths of despair. I will not wring my hands and weep and wail for them - that won't achieve anything for them, for you, or for me. Instead I will get on and help where I can and see the good in the situation, because goodness knows there has to be something beneficial to come out of this.

Don't let blue's misery drag you down Susan. Just be glad you got lucky, & do what you can for those who didn't share that luck.

Some just want to be miserable, probably why they join the greens.

I have to agree about the mono-tones of Julia.I couldn't work out what really annoyed me about her at first,then I noticed that the facial expressions did not match the emotions/words eminating from her mouth.It is restrained enthusiasm,or an understated travesty that greets us.There is no direction or intent,just etherised monotones of meaningless platitudes.

They are all in the spotlight now with good intentions and bravado,but wait until the media bores of the topic and money becomes more of the issue.It will be tax ,tax tax on the ordinary people while the really wealthy countribute almost nothing.

Why don't the media companies donate 50% of their profit since they are making a fortune selling the rights OS? This would be a start.

Good article Susan. But it didn't rain in Brisbane on Tuesday or Wednesday, on me anyway. And that lack of water running off in the lower Brisbane River catchment appears to have largely contributed to the lower levels of flooding in and around Brisbane.

Some of my abiding memories will be of the waste food bins scattered around the affected areas, the porta dunnies for the cleanup, how quickly the fetid rubbish and the smell was removed ... and oh yes Sunday morning with film of Anna and Wayne parading for the photo shoot among the volunteers, in their designer jeans and spotless white shirts, which contrasted nicely with Campbell in his rolled up blue sleeves down cleaning up with the volunteers, his efforts organised effectively.

And why has Paul Pisale disappeared from his almost hourly appearances in the media. The last I heard he was rambling about having some grand stratagy ... on last Sunday. I think he might be hanging out with the hydrologists who wrongly predicted, right up to 2.00am on Thursday that flood levels in Brisbane would be 5.2 meters. It was amazing that nearly every one of their predictions were wrong and were constantly being revised ... yet the media keep treating them like great gurus ushuring in, and as Grahame Young said, 'willing on' an historic flood event.

I'm glad there were so wrong and that relatively so few in Brisbane suffered only material loss. My heart goes out to the other not quite so 'lucky' Queenslanders.

I bet more than a few of them would readily and gladly swap Anna for Campbell.

Great article Susan. The news from this flood has just been incredible - first the massive amount of water covering a city and now the huge response from the community. Its great to hear a personal account.