The wet season in Queensland began in earnest during December 2010. For much of the State, the beginning of 'The Wet' was a little early, and also much heavier than usual. As we are intersected by the Tropic of Capricorn, this is what we expect from November to February, sometimes longer. From the city of Rockhampton northward, we are in the Tropics, south of that of course is sub-tropical. We all watched in awe as town after town in the State was flooded by their adjacent river or creeks. Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Dalby, Chinchilla, Emerald, Condamine, Charleville are only some that succumbed to inundation. Many, many other small townships and properties went down. This, I thought, is going to be a big wet.Then, just a few days ago I happened to hear a news flash on the television; it was short and succinct. It basically indicated that everyone living on the Toowoomba range and below should flee to higher ground, because of imminent flooding. It was not until later that day the news footage filtered through of what had taken place in the city of Toowoomba, and the small hamlets and townships which dot the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range below Toowoomba. A wall of water, named by the Police Commissioner as 'an inland tsunami' had smashed through this beautiful old city. Then, it thundered down the Range taking all before it. I sat in utter disbelief as I watched the footage captured by people on the spot as the event unfolded. This wall of water, estimated to be between 3 and 6 metres in depth roared through the core of Toowoomba. Cars, trucks, people, every single thing swept away. Queensland is a very large State in area, but we still have a relatively small population. This being the case, it is inevitable that almost all of us will be touched by the tragedy. Already, I know someone who knows a family lost on the Toowoomba Range.
Many of you reading this will not know Toowoomba, and until recent times I doubt if you've even heard the name. The horror and disbelief regarding what happened on this dark day is mainly created by the fact that the city sits on top of a mountain range. It literally is 'top of the range'. Nobody, me especially, ever thought or even dreamed that this could happen. Many years ago, I lived quite close to there, and visited often. It was always a little cooler and fresher when days in Ipswich or Brisbane were humid and oppressive.
On that day though, Mother Nature proved us all to be wrong. Incredible amounts of localised rain in a very, very short timespan created a flash-flood situation. The local creeks in Toowoomba went from a trickle to a thundering torrent within minutes. Creek banks burst, and the result was total and utter devastation. The rest is becoming history as I type this piece. The waters moved at catastrophic speed down the creeks on the Range, into the Lockyer Valley and onward to Brisbane and Ipswich. Many lives have been lost, and there's more poor souls to be recovered yet. Whole families have disappeared. There is billions of dollars of damage to property. Farmland and crops are laid waste, and lifestock simply washed away.
Of course, in this modern day and age, every single event which was filmed is shown on the media. People sit in disbelief, some in tears, watching something which in truth could happen to us all here in the North. The very improbable and unbelievable disaster of Toowoomba has made us all suddenly feel very vulnerable indeed.
This brings me to a most interesting point indeed. It's obvious that those involved in the floods will suffer some degree of trauma, some mildly, some to a greater degree. The human mind is resilient, but we all have a limit. Sadly, in some individuals the trauma will develop into what we know as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). We know this will occur because of data from previous events, such as the Vietnam War and the 9/11 terrorism incidents. Interestingly, what came out of the 9/11 data, some years after the event, was quite astounding. It became obvious to researchers that many people who had been affected with PTSD had not necessarily been 'on the spot' geographically speaking when the event occurred. Many sufferers simply saw it time and time again on television. It was shown and replayed for many days and weeks on news channels and in documentaries. This viewing from a distance, it appears, was sufficient to imprint the trauma within the minds of the viewers, and in some, initiate the onset of PTSD. I guess the reasoning and logic behind this is simple when we think about it. Television images are 'real' to our minds, and those horrific scenes create within us the same psychological and physiological reactions as if we were actually 'on the spot'.
This means then that even persons far distanced from the horrors of Toowoomba and the flooding in the remainder of Queensland are potential sufferers of PTSD, or, at a lesser level, periods of anxiety.
I am writing this as I want people to be aware. Aware of the feelings they may have right now, or in the near future. My advice to anyone affected would be to seek help as soon as is possible; these afflictions tend to 'mature with age' in my humble opinion. If you are experiencing the anxiety that's created by trauma, or even full blown PTSD (Google that if you're unsure of the symptoms) find yourself some support as soon as is practicable. Hypnotherapy is a fine way of dealing with such issues.
Finally, I would like to personally extend my sincere and heartfelt condolences to those affected by this disastrous and deadly wet season. To those who have lost loved ones and friends, my heart goes out to you. To those who have lost your life belongings, your place of work, your home, take heart, I am certain that Australia is right behind you. I would also like to thank all members of all the Emergency Services. Many have risked life and limb in order to save others. They have worked relentlessly, some for days on end. Thank you.
