Allotments 4 All

Some happy news for a change. The anniversary of the 'inland tsunami' in Queensland was on the 10 January. My brother and his wife are now back in their repaired house and have been featured in an article in the local newspaper about the annivesary.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/interactives/floodcrisis

More specifically

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/raging-waterways-at-murphys-creek/story-fn6ck2c6-1226240269823?sv=dcaa474a2708d03ba8879b6b86940371

Great to hear. As most know, I am a Brisbanite but luckily my family only live in high up places. It was truly a terrifying time for them.
Your family were "lucky" as that region was very badly hit and many people died.
I read an article this week about a couple who only now are back in their home - since the floods, they have raised the house onto stumps (this is done quite easily with our wooden frame homes) and now have what we call a highset house. And about all that was left was the frame! Many of the walls have to be replaced, the floor had to be blasted, treated and revarnished, all their doors had to be replaced and all the furnishings including the kitchen.
A huge job. We are a very resilient lot out there!

:)

This was a shocking time for Australia - I am glad that your brother's family had a happy outcome.  SAdly many did not - who ever would have thought that they would have been the subject of flooding? It's usually bushfires that are the problem.  A sign of the world's climate changing I wonder!
Let's hope 2013 is kinder to them!

They are quite high up they tell me, but Toowoomba is above them in an extinct volcano crater and they're on the side of the 'crater'. The water poured over and down, apparently recorded at 9.8m deep as it came down the valley. Looking at my brother standing in front of the house I can see the house is very low no wonder they weren't feeling very safe on the roof, they found a picture a neighbour took of them on the roof and the water is over the lower bits of the roof.