Sandbags sprouted like mushrooms, black plastic and gaffer tape lined the walls, and countless Westenders paced the river banks as we waited and wondered if the Brisbane River would repeat its rampage of two years ago.
But we were lucky – despite the river breaching the banks in a couple of places, and a few instances of localised ground flow flooding, we were spared the grief, trauma and severe disruption of a major flood event. This time.
The near-miss, however, showed clearly how the scars of January 2011 have not yet fully healed. Many people voiced the concern: “I couldn’t go through that again!”
Memories came flooding back as people prepared for the worst, moving furniture and possessions to higher ground, watching the TV news and Internet bulletins obsessively, trying to decipher the predictions to ascertain just how bad the flood would be.
In the aftermath, we’re left to contemplate the awful possibility that floods like these may become regular events. Was this our second 1 in 100 year flood in two years? Our third in 40 years? Has the hydrology of the Brisbane River flood plain been fatally compromised by over-development? Has Wivenhoe Dam, once touted as making Brisbane flood proof, instead added a new level of complexity and uncertainty to flood management in Brisbane?
So while we may be counting our blessings, we’re also left to ponder the future, wondering how long it will be before the Brisbane River once again flexes its muscles and starts throwing its weight around.
