#flood2022

~since our house already flooded and we can't go in through the main road so we stop by here to eat and may be settled down at the nearest hotel for tonight .... #flood2022 #floodagain #2022 #naturedisaster #meruselangor (at Lotus Setia Alam) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckx3aprSuL2xivH1maoWAecrVOob2t_MzpEIy80/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

6 months on… It’s been a trying time, for us and many in the area. After the initial clean and tidy, we brought all our ruined items, that is parts of our lives, to the street, and watched it all get thrown into the back of a truck. After the initial communications delay, either myself or Mum have been on the phone (often on hold!) to the insurance company, builders, assessors and anyone else connected with the rebuild every week, and it’s still very slow going. Latest estimate is the house won’t be finished before Easter next year. It’s understandable when you consider the 1000’s homes damaged, lack of work people and materials, but it doesn’t make this situation any more tolerable, it really sucks. We spent many days working on the contents list for the insurance. It’s really hard to go through each item that was lost. Painfully reminded each time what we went through, what others went through. The house has been ‘made safe’, the walls removed, parts of ceilings removed, bathrooms and kitchen pulled out. It is now a space that sounds big, empty and lonely. I’ve tried to come to terms with what happened, to say well it’s just a house, it’s just stuff… but it’s more than that… it was a home, and it was our lives, and it’s not so easy to shrug that off. #flood2022 #oceanshores #nswfloods #flooddamage #flood #flooding (at Ocean Shores) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch9Go-oBpXZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#PrayForKentucky ##kystrong #TheseAreMyPeople #TheseMountainsAreMyHome #Flood2022 #SouthEastKY #Appalachian #MyRoots https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg5K3YHrHXzOu-PtiLr4VEzCvFmj802eyOQpNU0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A few shots from the high waters that entered our house on Monday 28th February. More on my ‘ohmyjoshofficial’ Facebook profile. Mum and I didn’t sleep Sunday night, and by 9:30 the water was inside the house. I managed to save one car, but couldn’t risk the deep water to get Alex’s car to safety. We called for rescue, we honestly didn’t expect the water to enter the house, but once it did we had to admit defeat. The water rose higher after we left, we think it got to about 35cm. The rush of the water and the sound of the rain was deafening at times. The rescue squad, police and SES came to our aid, and together with another family, we walked and floated to safety. The water was 1.2-1.3 meters high at the north end of our street. Our cats Ruby and BB are safe, although they did get very wet during the rescue. They’re bouncing back to usual better than us! Alex’s colleagues were there to drive us to our current accommodation, they’ve been amazing this week continuously supporting us and many many folks in the area. It’s been a week, clean up at the house has been good, honestly we were lucky, but I don’t think it’s good to compare, as we all react differently in these situations. I for one don’t feel safe at the house, especially when it starts to rain. Apparently it’s called PTSD, and I wouldn’t want to wish this disaster, nor the emotional turmoil, on anyone, ever. There are still many folks without power, food or water in the northern rivers. We’ve been cut off from the world, but the rescue stories we have heard, has once again proven how strong the Aussie spirit and mateship is. It’s a disaster zone, and the streets are paved with peoples lives, now soggy and muddy. While we are safe, the emotional toll has been very heavy. The thought of mum having to rebuild her life and Alex and I to again be delayed at building our own lives has hit us hard. It’s hit everyone in the area hard. We’ve been without phone or internet for almost a week, making arrangements, insurance and recovery a slower process for us and many many more. #flood2022 (at The Ocean Shores Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CayGOhWBOpf/?utm_medium=tumblr