I was just reading a blog by Lyn at
MyPinkandCreamCottage. She well describes and shows pics of the recent floods in her area. How devastating for the people of Coffs Harbour (a one hour drive from me). Victoria had their bushfires while other areas were in flood. Reading her article was like a trip down memory lane for me. I live in an area that has massive flooding and I could tell lots of stories, but, the most recent fright for my family was a couple of years ago when Newcastle was in flood and my two youngest daughters and my little granddaughter were stuck in it. They didnt realise that the water was rising outside... here is a newspaper clip.....
Sisters caught in floods
ANGUS GREEN
12/06/2007 3:06:51 PM
THE floodwaters that have indunated Newcastle and the Hunter Valley in recent days forced Kempsey sisters Lauren and Candice Figgett from their home and out into the torrents on Saturday night in a terrifying ordeal.
The Macleay Argus managed to get hold of Lauren yesterday as she sat in a cafe near her home, reflecting on the weekend's events.
Lauren, her sister Candice and seven-year-old daughter Savannah, were with two friends and their four-year-old son.
"We obviously knew it was raining, but it wasn't until I told my sister I was going to call for a pizza for the two kids that I looked outside and saw a river running past the front of our house," Lauren, 24, said.
"My friend said it was too wet for the pizza guys to get here ... man that was an understatement.
"We rushed outside in our undies to see how the shed was faring, but the house was surrounded by water.
"There was literally a river running past our house!
"At first it was quite funny, we were laughing at the novelty of the whole situation, and my friend even went outside to tie a ribbon on a signpost so we could see how fast the water was rising."
Lauren, a well-known singer around Newcastle, said everyone started putting items of value up high within the house, and laughed at her contribution to the possible rescue effort.
"I wrote our names and ages on the back of a Centrelink form so rescuers would know how many of us were up on the roof if it came to that," she giggled.
"After we got that all sorted we just sat at the window and watched these cars float past – lucky for us our house is up on stilts.
"We had been texting and trying to ring friends with trucks or utes to come and get us, and eventually a mate pulled up out the front, and we got the kids ready to move.
"The water kept rising and rising, and the rain was so heavy, so my sister put Savannah on her shoulders and ventured out into the current to get to the ute at the front gate.
"The water was moving so fast, Candice nearly fell a couple of times, and it was at that point the seriousness of our situation dawned on me and I got really scared.
"Savannah was screaming and we were trying to calm the kids down by telling them it was fun and an adventure, but I bet they could see the fear in our eyes.
"We literally swam out the front once we got the kids into the ute and went to a safer house, and every time the wind picked up or a car floated past we would be hit by a wave.
"The water was really disgusting, it was full of garbage and sewage, and on our way to our friend's house we nearly ran out of petrol, the roads were blocked and we had to navigate through deep water not knowing what was below."
Lauren's way of thinking continued to save her future grief, as she always keeps a "fire bag" with her passport and essential documents in it.
"I managed to grab that, but it turns out there was not much need because our house was relatively safe, and I don't have a car so that wasn't a drama.
"One of my friends lost her car and the water went right through her house.
"When we got back to our house on Sunday we found we had lost our fridge and my room was the only room to really get damaged.
"Everyone who I have spoken to since has a story, either they were really lucky, or unlucky as the case was most of the time.
"Looking back, it was really terrifying to think of how things could have gone, and just how lucky we were compared to so many others.
"I work in a cafe in Newcastle, and yesterday (Sunday) we were so busy because there were something like 200,000 homes with no power," she said.
"Not surprisingly the general topic of conversation was the storm and the flooding, and some of the horror stories were really frightening.
"A woman who lives just up the road from us was home alone with her two babies, and she was stranded until the firefighters and rescue crews helped her get out.
"The firies drove past us and yelled out, asking us if we were all right, and when we gave them the thumbs up they sped off.
"They must have had a hell of a night.
"The damage in my room was pretty bad, but I will go home today and try and sort it out to see if anything, I really should be thanking my stars that the flood waters didn't actually reach the house.
"The water damage in my room was from the rain coming through the roof, not the flood waters.
"Walking around Newcastle, the waters have receded a bit, but there are still car parks full of cars that floated in and smashed against each other.
"I reckon Newcastle will be mopping up for a long time before they are back to normal, and that's if the rain holds off."
What wasn't told was that there was a blackout and it was late at night... when they tried to leave the house... my granddaughter was on her mums head and in the dark..they could not follow a path and didn't know it they were on even ground or about to sink. How frightening would that have been....?
We have had minor flooding in my town twice in the last 2 months... and the rain is still hanging around.. but the sun is out too and our Autumn is looking really good... While our US friends are looking to their beautiful Spring weather.. I am watching our leaves turn to gold. Autumn is such a beautiful season!
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