the river level is dropping
the park has reappeared
The insurance assessor has already been to our flood damaged house. We were so disappointed when we returned to the house. We thought we had done a good job with the clean up. When we left it looked sparkling clean and almost like new. When we returned we found black stuff oozing from the walls, they are all warped, the doors are buckled and splitting and the cupboards we thought we had saved are falling apart.
On the upside, the assessor assured us that this was bound to happen. We couldn’t have done anything to prevent it. He said he has seen thousands of flood affected houses and this is just what happens. The situation is now out of our hands. The insurance company (Suncorp) will replace everything. He told us the house is uninhabitable and it will be 6 – 12 months before it will be fixed. Our tennants will have to find alternative accommodation and we just wait. It is a bit frustrating, we would love to get in there and do stuff, but we can’t.
Brisbane is slowly returning to normal. Most people are back at work in the CBD. Thousands of people will be having the same experience with their houses – or worse – so life will be fairly difficult for those directly affected for a while. For the rest of the city, life goes on as normal.
CBD the Queen St Mall is up and running
The clean up in some areas has been amazing. In West End, where we live, most of the mud has gone and the streets look pretty good. Southbank and the Gallery precinct is on the way to recovery and several cafes and restaurants are open for business. The lagoon at Southbank went completely under water, but the work to clean it up is progressing very well.
Southbank clean up
cleaning up
the restaurants are back in action
Southbank from the Victoria Bridge
note the small boat in the foreground - just in case
the river is still brown but it is low and calm
The best thing we can do here is to go back to work, support local businesses, buy replacements for lost possessions (where possible) and generally return to as close to normal as possible. This seems to be happening. Shops and restaurants report good business and people are wanting to help where they can. Volunteers are still out there helping and the council and government are working to restore the city.
it looks very calm now
the park has been cleaned up
the sky is blue
a great place for a picnic
it is hard to believe this was covered with filthy mud
the rock climbers are back
On Australia day people were out having barbeques and picnics and enjoying a beautiful day in Brisbane. It takes more than a wall of water to knock us down. The spirit that showed itself during the clean up will continue.
Look here, here, here, here, here and here for the full story of the flood in Brisbane.
I had no idea what was about to unfold when I wrote that first post about the heavy rain falling in Brisbane. The city is so calm now, it is hard to believe it ever happened.