"A king tide", the reporter explained, had Brisbane residents worried there might be further flooding. Something to do with the combination of high water and a still swollen river. Still, didn’t justify the abusive language. Children might be watching.
Bit of a pattern emerging. Bishkek. Central Asian city. Bloody riots a few months before I rode into town. Then there was Urumqi in western China. Civil unrest not so long ago. Now Queensland. Huge swathes devastated by flooding. Trouble, it appears, seems to travel ahead of me. Which is good news for me. But not necessarily so great if you’re in New Zealand or North America this year. I’m coming… You have been warned.
A passing aberration I told myself. Feeling for a politician. Anna Bligh. Queensland’s Premier. Morning press conference. Bit of a quiver in the voice. But she kept it together. To be fair, flood my cottage with mud and raw sewage, deprive me of sleep and I’d get a bit emotional. She’s got an entire State to contend with. Huge swathes devastated.
Amongst the saturation news coverage of the Queensland flood disaster, there’s been the odd glimmer of incidental humour. A piece this morning. Dwelling briefly on a flooded Brisbane milk factory. Before quickly focusing on the city’s submerged “XXXX” brewery. Extensive aerial footage. You could sense the tears.
Who knows whether the end is in sight. For the wet season continues into April. But do hope television schedules return to normal sooner rather than later. Can’t wait to catch a new Aussie reality show “Conviction Kitchen“. Not sure if it’s actually meant to be ironic…
Wet season it might be in Queensland – top right chunk of Australia – but some regions to the south have suffered the worst flooding for almost half a century. And seem to be pretty stoic about it.
I’m hopeful the waters will have subsided by the time I reach there. But, if not, perhaps I could take some inspiration from the above video… Except the beard that is.
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