Press the Panic Button

This is a picture of a Caravan Park that is 2 minutes drive away from my home. Had I seen these pictures prior to leaving for work this morning I would never have stepped out of the house into my car (our home is located on high ground).

The night before we had a lot of rain which was extremely heavy and extremely windy outside. I praised God for the rain as we have been in drought for such a long time and it has been a while since our land has had a good soaking.

I didn't sleep much due to the noise but eventually nodded off to the land of bliss...and snore...and more blisss...and a bit of dribble.

I realised I needed to get going early as the rain was still quite heavy and needed to give myself extra time. As I was reversing out of the driveway mum rang and said "don't go down Smith St - its flooded". I said thanks mum I'll find another alternative.

Driving down to Smith St trying to think of other ways to go - it didn't look that bad and there was a few cars on the road so I proceeded. I was cruising along - very carefully mind you as the rain was quite heavy and I had the windscreen wipers on the fast setting and they were going so fast my eyeballs were nearly going to popout...I think I will be dreaming of them tonight...

Then I get to a spot where I'm standstill - my brain goes "this is what mum must have been talking about". Water everywhere - I'm thinking oh this isn't good - actually this is not good. So I try to get out of my sticky spot and go down some back streets - wrong - so is every other man and his dog....what would have taken me 10 mins was now turning into an hour and I hadn't moved - everywhere I tried to look for an alternative the streets were flooded.

I rang Mal and said - don't even try and bother coming out here in this weather - ring work and tell them you are not coming in...."yes boss - he says to himself" - I'm just trying to help him avoid the pickle that I'm now in.

I ring work and no answer - great...I'm late now by half an hour. Finally someone rings me and says "where are you". I say "I have no idea - I'm down some backstreet - with 600 hundred cars trying to get out". As we talk there is a great flash of lightening and there is silence on the other end "Jeannie are you still there" - am I still here - I've got no where to bleedin go except be washed out to sea... "I'm here I yell" - she says the power has gone out and we are surrounded by blackness - trust the phones still to be working - larf larf".

I said "I'll try and find another way but I can't go home because there is an accident on Smith St and gridlocked all the way to freeway". So by this time and many phone calls from Mal and the girls who have now seen pictures on the television are starting to freak out. The radio presenters are staying - don't get in your cars - stay home - its too dangerous to drive. Thanks for that great piece of wisdom of which I will ensure I will watch/listen to the news everymorning before I leave to ensure it is safe to go out and drive my car.

If only I had listened to my "mammy"....

Another hour has passed - I've made it an extra 2 mins down the road my petrol guage is getting lower and lower and I have to keep the aircond on so that I can see out of the window - how weird is this weather - we are in the middle of winter and a deluge and its warm outside - I have to say "thats Queensland for you". My battery on my mobile isn't looking too good and I have no flamin map in the car to help me get out of the mess.

By now I'm starting to get a bit stressed - one for the fact that there is water piling up everywhere, 2 that I can't get to work (I wasn't really worried about that part) and 3 my family were now really worried about me. Was I praying - boy was I praying...God help me get out of here - help me to breathe and help me to calm down. Meanwhile more and more cars are surrounding me and the waters are rising - I had visions of being crammed together with all these cars and being picked up by the waters and washed out to sea....these are not good thoughts when you are on your own and you keep hearing on the radio "such and such road is now closed, don't go down that street the water is waist deep, don't get in your cars"

I began to see people abandoning their cars by the side of the road and getting out and walking. "Hey - me and this little black duck (well red duck) are staying together and I ain't getting stranded here. My boss rings me and it is now 2 and half hours later and I'm stuck "where are you" if someone asks me that flamin question again....I said - the same place I was 2 hours and 20 minutes ag0.

She said "try and turn around and go home" - dir its not like I haven't tried...then the panic starts and I can feel it rising up within me - help God help...I've never felt so helpless in my whole life. I saw a car float down the street and I'm still on the phone and start crying - she goes "you are all right - just breathe - pull over if you have to and get a grip" me!!!! get a grip!!! I am a grown woman and its just a bit of rain....perspective Jeannie perspective - ummm road flooding, cars trapped....yes perspective...

Then I see it - an empty street but a one way going in the opposite direction - not a car in sight. SO I make the move and pray intensly as I'm breathing deep and hoping that no car will come the other way....I made it and back out on to Smith St where it was deserted - mind you due to the flooding in the middle of the road - great what do I do now...

Then I see the median strip in the middle and notice that most of the water is in the middle of the road. Brainwave - needed with Gods help....I have two wheels up on the median strip and two wheels touching the water. Phone ringing can't answer, text now, still can't answer. I drive like this for 500 metres and then I come across a van with a trailer that is stranded right in the middle - its a tight squeeze between me and the lamp post on the other side but we make it.

I take another few turns, down some more back streets and back to the familiarity of the home stretch - I start crying again - thanking God for getting me out of this mess (if only I'd listen to my "mammy"). There at the front door are Mal and my girls waiting to give me hugs - I'm ushered it and sat down and given a hot cup of tea to help calm my nerves. I made it home, lots of phone calls were made and lots of stories shared with work colleagues in the same situation.

I will never underestimate the power of rain on the streets of the Gold Coast ever again. Only to be told later - that these roads do flood in heavy rain - all that is said in hindsight - don't you just love it....I've been here 4 yrs now and this is the first time I've experience heavy rains like this...I must finish up now and go to bed - I just needed to get all this out so I could sleep peacefully and return to the land of bliss, snore and dribble....