A piece of, now ironic, art outside the Brisbane theatre and art space 'The Powerhouse'. |
When I posted a few weeks ago, I had no idea that here in Brisbane the roads really would turn into canals for a few days.
It really has been quite surreal to know that this great disaster has visited so many in my city and yet, where I live, life goes on as if nothing has happened. I guess I'm very lucky my family and I don't live in a suburb near the river.
It has been amazing to see how the Government and general public have pulled together to very quickly clean up the city and attempt to get life back to normal. Of course it will take years for some people to recover, if at all.
I guess what will come next is the discussion on whether anything could have been done differently to reduce the impact of a disaster like this and what can be done to mitigate future floods . There may never be definitive answers to these questions.
The floods of 2011 will certainly cause future city planners rethink how we interact with our beautiful and, at times, awesome river.
Check out these amazing aerial before/after views of Brisbane. I had lunch just after Christmas at the Eagle Street Pier....(It looks like the water came up to the roof).