Timberlake Tales: Queensland Floods January 2011

It is hard to believe that just two summers ago Victorians, and the rest of the nation, watched in horror as bushfire's burned over 1.1 million acres across of Victoria. Those Black Saturday bushfire's are Australia’s worst natural disaster on record.

Our nation is once again watching our televisions in shock as Queensland is inundated with floods. Walls of rushing water, being dubbed “inland tsunami’s” have swept through towns taking with them cars, buildings, belongings and people. The footage is horrific.

More than 70 people are missing. Thirteen have been confirmed dead. There are grave concerns held for many of those reported as missing. Only God knows where bodies might be found in the coming days, weeks and months.

Tens of thousands of homes are currently without power. It had to be shut off for safety reasons.

Most of the east coast of Australia has been bombarded with rain over the last week. There has been flooding in parts of New South Wales and Victoria, yet what is happening in those places in nothing like the magnitude of Queensland. They have experienced weeks of rain that has culminated in what we are witnessing now.

In a number of places the water is receding just as quickly as it swept through. The images of this are truly heartbreaking. People's belongings lay in the streets. Silt and mud cake walls, both inside and outside of buildings. Rubbish and rubble line the roads and water ways.

We have family in Brisbane and Toowoomba. All are fine, Praise God. Water reached just under the house of family in Toowoomba, and my Aunt and Uncle’s house is far enough away from the Brisbane river to be safe. Their greatest threat at the moment is their backyard pool flooding! Their church however didn’t fare as well. The lower level of their church building was/is under water, and they personally have been blocked off from their church by the floodwater that has burst the banks of the Brisbane river.

We found out that for many people insurance may not cover the cost of the damages incurred. Many insurance companies will not insure for floods if you live within a certain distance from a river, creek or lake. For many families this will no doubt be of major concern.

This is where the money from the flood appeal will come into play. If you feel so led, here is the link to the Queensland Government’s Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.

My heart breaks for those affected. Please pray for the people of Queensland and their families. They are truly going to need God’s peace and comfort over the coming weeks and months.