Floodwaters have reached my backyard

...and because the filthy river broke its banks a while ago, and the floodwaters broke the sewerage plant, everything smells like shit and animal carcasses. Idiots keep going into the flood waters, and endangering the lives of rescue workers, and crime has risen sharply lately, because the prolonged foul weather, flooding and disgusting smell are sending everyone loopy here. I know of someone whose dog was poisoned xmas eve, and there may well be serious repercussions from that. Lots of carcrashes, stabbings, weird shit that usually kept to a minimum. The way people are going crazy here, you'd think it was like Haiti here. It's just grinding everyone down and sending them crazy. http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/...ed-queensland/

That stinks (literally). what's the plan for cleanup?

Also what the hell was up with snow in Tasmania? Its freaking summer there.

Tasmania's always been weird...

Not much can be done here re: cleanup until the waters subside, and they haven't reached their peak yet. It's scorching hot now though, so hopefully evaporation will speed up the process.

Oh, no spitz, that's awful...are you ok?

Quote:

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Originally posted by Sarahfeena

Oh, no spitz, that's awful...are you ok?

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Yeah, it's not like my house will be swept away or anything. It's mainly the effect it's had on the whole town, and the threat of god knows what diseases. But I have a script for anti-biotics up my sleeve, just in case I get very sick and can't go over the river to my doctor.

I'm just worried about you because I know you've been sick, and this does not sound healthy for you. :(

I'm sure it's not ideal for me. But there's not a lot I can do. I can't not walk where there's water/mud, because I need to buy food and apply for jobs. I'm eating unholy amounts of garlic - hopefully that will help.

My backyard, as of about 10 minutes ago:


http://i.imgur.com/xItsc.jpg


It peaks tomorrow.

That's no backyard. That's swamp. :(

That's a real shitstorm you're in there Spitz. :(

Heh. The nickname for this suburb is 'The Swamp'. Wonder why.

Update: shops are selling food on ration basis now. People stealing other people's food out of trolleys, idiots still tossing themselves into the water, like it's all a fucking joke. And I'm going to emrgengy shelter soon, coz I'm running out of food, no money, and won't be able to leave or enter the house on my payday. And there's many doing it much tougher than I. Happy '11. Stay dry.

:(

Take care of yourself, spitz. Don't take any risks. I'll be sending good thoughts your way.

Just before I was evacuated:

http://i.imgur.com/SFyZi.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xAEPo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jI0an.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/V4fm1.jpg

It may seem strange to be evacuated when the water's not even going into the house, but quite soon (no-one knows exactly when) the house will be surrounded by god knows how much water...

I'm now the other evacuated 'water babies' as we've been dubbed. A 20 minute walk to McDonald's gives me internet access. Red Cross are an amazing organisation. If you're rich, and want to give to a charity, one could do a lot worse than Red Cross.

Hope you're OK today, spitz. I'm worried about you. :(

Quote:

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Originally posted by Sarahfeena

Hope you're OK today, spitz. I'm worried about you. :(

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Same here. Those pictures are frightening. I hope things are OK with you, spitz.

Keep us updated Spitz.

Glad to hear you're safe, at least. Keep your chin up!

Update:
The waters are still rising in some areas, though I've been reliably informed it's not so bad (relatively) where my house is. The main hazard to the house now is looters, and 1) water police were sent up from Brisbane 2) I have a crazy SOB neighbour who will deal with whoever tries anything. :sci:

Had a reporter in my face yesterday and today. Grrr. He wanted to hear, 'Yeah! I'd love for people to jerk off to my misfortune. Please scratch through my personal business like a starving raccoon...' but no. Fuck that noise.

I wrote a song about the flood, called 'Flood'. Music, lyrics, the whole shibang. When my wisdom tooth heals, and I can sing OK, I'll record this masterpiece. :P

Ah, I have a new nickname - Fang. Apparently I eat a LOT for a skinny dude. Heh.

So, my bedroom. http://i.imgur.com/dYa4v.jpg

A critter I saw this morning: http://i.imgur.com/vytNc.jpg

A different critter I saw lunchtime, while washing my clothes: http://i.imgur.com/ms1U1.jpg

Glad to know you're safe and being fed. Keep it up. :)

Seconded

If this keeps up spitz, we're going to have to start a mello collection to send you one of those inflatable swamp hover boat things.

Or an amphibious vehicle!

Stay clear of looters and stray kangaroos who may be interested in looting as well

Yikes! So sorry to hear you've been having such problems, spitz. Hope things get better for you VERY soon. Glad to hear the Red Cross is helping a lot. They've had (at least the American version) plenty of criticism here in the U.S., not least on the SDMB.

And... double yikes! Do you know what kind of spider that is? How big is it?

Quote:

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Originally posted by Elendil's Heir

Yikes! So sorry to hear you've been having such problems, spitz. Hope things get better for you VERY soon. Glad to hear the Red Cross is helping a lot. They've had (at least the American version) plenty of criticism here in the U.S., not least on the SDMB.

And... double yikes! Do you know what kind of spider that is? How big is it?

---

Thanks EH. And everyone else offering support etc. Almost all my meatspace 'friends' left me to rot, so it really means a lot.

I think it's an orb spider, or St Andrew's Cross (due to the diagonal crosses in the web it weaves) but I'm not sure... The spiders body sans legs is the size of a man's thumb, roughly. The legs about the same length again.

Oh, and the Red Cross have granted me wifi access here at the Centre, so I can bug you guys around the clock! :fishbeat:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Elendil's Heir

Yikes! So sorry to hear you've been having such problems, spitz. Glad to hear the Red Cross is helping a lot. They've had (at least the American version) plenty of criticism here in the U.S., not least on the SDMB.

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There's one cranky old fool here running the Red Cross down... he'd be right at home on the Durp, actually :P But the overwhelming concensus here is that they're doing a bang-up job.

You still doing OK, Spitz?

I mean it's nearly noon and we haven't heard from you.

Yikes, how did I just now find this thread? I hope you are okay, spitz!

Spitz will be fine. He's like a Weeble!

I hope you can go home soon spitz.

What in God's boner is a Weeble?

spitz! YOU'RE ALIVE!

Weebles wobble.

http://www.suburbanamerican.com/WeebleBoy.jpg

(But they don't fall down.)

ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?! :mad:

I'm calling you surprisingly buoyant with a low center of gravity.

That's alright, then!

Quote:

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Originally posted by Monkey Flingpoo

You still doing OK, Spitz?

I mean it's nearly noon and we haven't heard from you.

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YOU CHEEKY LITTLE MONKEY!!!

One gets surprisingly busy in a place like this, and I've caught a cold/flu/something similar as well, so slept 2 hrs today. Internet connection was off for a while (long story) but is back on! :sci:

This is a view of the path next to the shelter at night. Not important - I just thought it was a nice shot http://i.imgur.com/NEslN.jpg

I've been granted a chair, and a new mattress, and made my patch a little more homely. http://i.imgur.com/nsctJ.jpg

Also, they took us to the op shop (2nd hand clothing store) and let us take what we needed gratis, so I have enough different clothes that I can always have clean ones (I didn't pack very well :smack ). And I'm due to perform at the concert tomorrow night, I'm expected to play C&W. I hate C&W as a general rule, and don't know the lyrics to anything in that genre, so it's an interesting challenge...

Heh. We had more rain last night. This stream, near the Evac Centre, is usually a deep, dry ditch:

http://i.imgur.com/5GFJu.jpg

Egad.

I don't really think you need more rain, spitz.

Well, at least you have your ukelele.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Orual

Egad.

I don't really think you need more rain, spitz.

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Yes I told the sky that and it's not listening to me. \o/

Well, keep telling it. It might not've heard you the first time.

Stay safe and keep dry!!

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

. And I'm due to perform at the concert tomorrow night, I'm expected to play C&W. I hate C&W as a general rule, and don't know the lyrics to anything in that genre, so it's an interesting challenge...

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Here, this might help you...

But does spitz have the whip?

Good point, Zuul, It does lose something without it.

I can't youtube here guys. I didn't end up playing anyway - I was struck down with the 'flu. The karaoke was painfully bad, but thankfully I was supplied with earplugs! :sci:

An amusing story: the local paper reported on '30 000 swine' that got washed down the local river'. A guy in here read this, and was astounded. We told him it's simply not true, because there are not 30 000 swine in the whole region, let alone that specific location. This dude was adamant - 'IT'S IN THE FUCKING PAPER!!!' etc.

----

Turns out the reporter was told '30 sows and swine' got washed down the river. :smack

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

An amusing story: the local paper reported on '30 000 swine' that got washed down the local river'. A guy in here read this, and was astounded. We told him it's simply not true, because there are not 30 000 swine in the whole region, let alone that specific location. This dude was adamant - 'IT'S IN THE FUCKING PAPER!!!' etc.

----


Turns out the reporter was told '30 sows and swine' got washed down the river. :smack

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Good job no Brazilian troops were flooded away.

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

An amusing story: the local paper reported on '30 000 swine' that got washed down the local river'. A guy in here read this, and was astounded. We told him it's simply not true, because there are not 30 000 swine in the whole region, let alone that specific location. This dude was adamant - 'IT'S IN THE FUCKING PAPER!!!' etc.

----

Turns out the reporter was told '30 sows and swine' got washed down the river. :smack

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Oh no...it's another massive (and imaginary) animal die off for people to freak out about.

Don't get downstream of any sows or swine, and keep your spirits up, spitz! Hope you're recovering from the flu, too.

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

An amusing story: the local paper reported on '30 000 swine' that got washed down the local river'. A guy in here read this, and was astounded. We told him it's simply not true, because there are not 30 000 swine in the whole region, let alone that specific location. This dude was adamant - 'IT'S IN THE FUCKING PAPER!!!' etc.

----

Turns out the reporter was told '30 sows and swine' got washed down the river. :smack

---

Hence the virtues of saying "thirty pigs"...

Hope the waters recede soon, spitz. I'm no fonder of Australians than the next Pom, but not to the extent of wishing a Noahide deluge on them. :p

Quote:

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Originally posted by Sir Richard ffoulkes

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

An amusing story: the local paper reported on '30 000 swine' that got washed down the local river'. A guy in here read this, and was astounded. We told him it's simply not true, because there are not 30 000 swine in the whole region, let alone that specific location. This dude was adamant - 'IT'S IN THE FUCKING PAPER!!!' etc.

----

Turns out the reporter was told '30 sows and swine' got washed down the river. :smack

---

Hence the virtues of saying "thirty pigs"...

Hope the waters recede soon, spitz. I'm no fonder of Australians than the next Pom, but not to the extent of wishing a Noahide deluge on them. :p

---

OI! You've already got the Ashes and humiliated us at cricket - but as least we use soap :P

I got as close to my house as I could yesterday. Whick was 3 blocks away. Water everywhere. I may be in the EC for a while yet..

I was inside my house yesterday. No water got inside, but the place smells like a Frenchman's arsehole. Cleanup and reconnecting the power will take a while maybe, but the worst has passed...

Speaking of the French, there are 3 French backpackers at the EC now. I played basketball with them. And I taught the Aghani how to type a word document. My internet access is severely affected due to the horrific flooding down south, where people, cars houses are getting washed away in flash floods. Services are being stretched.

Hooray for getting back into your house!

Getting back into your house is great news. :)

I go back to my house (to live) tomorrow! YAY! :sci:

Woohoo! I hope you can get the smell out, too.

That is great news. Have you stocked up on bleach yet?

Picking up some bleach on the way home. The gov't cleaners should've done most of it. I don't even care at this point. I just want a decent night's sleep.

Hope things were not as bad as your worst fears once you actually got inside. Take care and stay safe.

Got home 30 mins ago. Exhausted. The place isn't too bad, except the back yard's still a swamp, and someone stuffed dirty clothes in the washing machine. But a lot better than I was expecting. Meeting up with my bandmates tonight, then off home for a few brewskies (not too many - on anti-biotics again) then off for a GOOD night's sleep! :sci:

In all seriousness, the good vibes from this place helped out heaps. My RL 'friends' left me to rot, and I was really struggling psychologically for a while. Thanks again to Zuul and Co.

I'M HOME!

Hurray spitz! I'm so happy for you!

Aw, I'm glad to hear it, spitz! We've been worrying about you.

*happy at-home dance*

I hope you get a good night's sleep in your own bed, spitz!

Yay, spitz! How is everything there?

Great news Spitz

That's great! Hope you can dig out and dry out without too many problems.

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

...someone stuffed dirty clothes in the washing machine....

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Um. Your own dirty clothes, or theirs...?

Quote:

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Originally posted by Elendil's Heir

That's great! Hope you can dig out and dry out without too many problems.

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

...someone stuffed dirty clothes in the washing machine....

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Um. Your own dirty clothes, or theirs...?

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Someone else's. But I had a glorious night sleep last night, so don't much care. :D

Woohoo! Free clothes! :D

I'm glad to hear that you're home and rested. :)

Do they fit...?

Seriously, hope all's well. Take care of yourself.

An observation:

While in the centre, I met plenty of people like myself, who suffered inconvenience, but nothing too dramatic. These people bitched about everything - we have food cooked for us for free, we didn't have to do dishes or anything, just turn up at mealtime. The food was very basic, as you'd expect in such a situation, but it was good, healthy, tasty food. Some people whinged about the foood every fucking meal - 'The steak's not cooked right'. Shut your fucking mouth. You're getting free steak. They could just serve gruel or something, but they go to great pains to serve us something better. So fickle and ungrateful for everything.
I also met some Aghanis, who fleed their country to escape horrendous conditions. And I met a guy from El Salvadore, who had members of his family shot. We saw on the news, people further south got hit by flash floods they couldn't escape, and quite a few people died. Quite a few others are still missing. Still, people in the centre were ungrateful for what they had. Leaving the centre, I experienced a strange kind of space dementia, I guess. I see this fat, spoilt brat, 'I'm entitled to every fucking thing' attitude everywhere, sometimes even within myself, and TBH, I'm not handling it well. So I just ask that Mellos (and whoever else is reading) take a few minutes to appreciate what they have. It's easy to lose focus.

Quite true. I remember reading a book by a WWII concentration camp survivor who said that after her awful experiences, she was grateful just to have food on the table, a blanket over her bed, a light to read by and no worries about the police kicking in her door at midnight. But some people have a real sense of entitlement, and whatever they're given just makes them feel put out not to have even more.

Yeah. I'm not comparing myself to a concentration camp survivor, but I take your point. It's alarmingly easy to lose perspective, and to forget what's important.

On a lighter note....


http://o.onionstatic.com/images/arti...pscale_q85.jpg

YOU BASTARDS HOW DARE YOU REMAIN DRY IN OUR TIME OF WETNESS!!! :fist:

Quote:

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Originally posted by fachverwirrt

Well, at least you have your ukelele.

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HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

Spitz, are you being affected by the tsunami this morning? I'm worried about everyone in your part of the world. :(

Sarahfeena Australia's unaffected AFAIK. Horrible, horrible thing though. We have many large Japanese communites here, so it will affect us that way. Very sad :(

Glad you're ok, spitz. The pictures on the news are so scary.

TH epics from the NZ earthquake were pretty scary too. But not many mellos seemed to give a shit about thatr. Some did, which was great, but a lot seemed to think, 'oh, it's only NZ, who gves a fuck?! it'ws not exciting enough' Perspective adds a bit to a story, doesn't it.

Lack of posting on the internet doesn't necessarily equate to lack of giving a fuck.

Quote:

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Originally posted by spitz

TH epics from the NZ earthquake were pretty scary too. But not many mellos seemed to give a shit about thatr. Some did, which was great, but a lot seemed to think, 'oh, it's only NZ, who gves a fuck?! it'ws not exciting enough' Perspective adds a bit to a story, doesn't it.

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Really horrible things happen daily around the world, more often then not, if something doesn't bring it home to me I don't post about it. I wouldn't have posted about Aussie except I knew someone (vaguely) that was affected by it. (You). If we concern ourselves with every horror the world has, well I at least would curl up into a ball and be useless. (I was numb for months after 9/11 but that was really close to home.)

Your expectation are high if you expect a lot of posting about every disaster world wide. And yes, dramatic footage of the tsunami does cause more interest and concern but I see little posting on the horrors going on this Libya at the moment. I'm pissed the Arab League or African Nations are not moving to do something or at least asking the UN/NATO to do something to help the rebels. I'm sure there are dozens of other horrific stories that could concern us.

I don't get it, spitz...we had a thread about it, and there are just about the same number of posts as in the thread about the quake in Japan. And, it was mostly the same people commenting and they mostly said the same kinds of things about both disasters. I think it's tough to make a claim that people care about one more than the other.

Oh, and also, I should add that the quake in NZ affected a limited area, and while it's tragic that people died, the toll in Japan is likely to be much, much higher and take a lot longer to sort out, so it's probably going to be in the news for quite a while, and there's going to continue to be terrible images coming to light. As long as it goes on, people are going to be reacting to it.

Wow, I just read this again, and was shocked what I wrote. No excuses, just sorry. Out of line.

You were upset, spitzy...it's understandable. :)

All is forgiven. Stress and deprivation can make people do things they ordinarily wouldn't. Hope you're doing better now.

Hi. another flood this year. My new place had half a meter of water through it. Yay.

Oh, jeez, what a drag! So sorry to hear it. Did you have to leave in a hurry? Are you back home now?

I'd been there (here) 4 days, then the flood rose so quickly, I had to take a day off work, at a time when it's not good to do that. Lived in a higher house for 10 days, now back in my new place. Now we have another flood warning, though I think it will only be a bit of flash flooding...

Wow. Hang in there, spitz.

Good grief spitz, not again.

Shitty to hear that man. Hang in there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2piq0-I7tfk :mad:

Keep your chin up, mate! Here's to dryer days ahead....

The 3rd flood didn't come, and we're off flood warnings now until Dec/Jan! =) :dance:

Woohoo! Hope the sun is shining and all is well now.