That Storm.

As most would know here on the East Coast of Australia the area in which we live was inundated with flooding rain a few weeks ago. The storm hit on the Monday night and what a storm! It sounded like an A380 was about to land on our roof! The wind noise with the driving rain, thunder and lightening had me hiding under the covers! Mark was at work on night shift and the next morning there was a very real chance he'd be cut off from home. Thank goodness he got through  as just half an hour later the road was cut when the river broke its banks and we were flooded in for a week.
 We lost electricity around 6 am Tuesday morning and it was a week before we got it back on. So no cooking, TV, phones, Internet or hot water. The first day wasn't too bad. Unfortunately our garbage was due to be picked up that morning but the truck couldn't get through- it was to be a week later and garbage overflowing before it could be taken. We had 2 gas cylinders full so knew we could cook on the barbeque. My laptop was fully charged so we could watch a DVD.
The first night Mark cooked the roast on the barbie out on the deck - he'd never done that before and he did a great job. Between that and some steamed veggies it was a great dinner. There was enough hot water left to have a warm (albeit very quick) shower each and then we settled down to watch a DVD.
Although the news had said the storm would be here for a few days we really thought the worst was over.
 I have a small battery operated radio so next day we were able to find out what was happening. The news was dreadful; communities were trashed, lives were lost and the storm was set to continue. We felt incredibly lucky to be so safe. Our home is on a hill so there was no chance of our home being washed  away which was what happened to some houses in other communities.
The second day we ate what we could from the fridge and I used up the fresh milk and eggs to make custard but now knew we were going to lose it all if the electricity didn't come back on very soon - and so we did. Everything in the fridge freezer and our large upright freezer. :( All the meat, the years worth of homemade stock, our frozen veggies from the garden - all gone. Having said that and yes it was difficult throwing out the "fruits of our labour" not to mention all that meat etc I was struck again at how very lucky we were to be warm, dry and above all safe! It was a long very quiet week but we read, we talked and I wrote while Mark pottered in the shed - when he could get there!
After a week of unusual food combinations from the pantry, boiling water to have a wash in the sink, and sleepless nights terrified all the street's septic systems were going to explode and shower us all with unmentionable gross stuff ( they are run by electricity) the rain stopped. The damage was unbelievable, the storms ferocity was unprecedented in our area and it will be months before things are back to normal.
We lost a huge gum tree that hit the back fence but that was the only real damage.
It was a pain losing my fridge and freezer stuff but that can be replaced. It was a nuisance not being able to shower daily, watch TV, go on the internet or get some fresh food. But that was all it was. In real terms it was just a nuisance.
People lost their homes, their livelihood, their stock and some their lives.
My daughter told me one lass complained on the Ausgrid website (our electricity company) that she had been without power for 7 hours. You have to be kidding!!
The Ausgrid people, SES, police, ambulance, firies and all who helped during this dreadful time deserve medals. They continually risked their lives going out into the storm to help others. Where I live is full on Australian bush  - the amount of trees down is unbelievable - but these guys were out day and night trying to clear the trees to restore power.The roads were impassable but asap the council was working to put it back to normal. Amazing people!!!

I didn't take this photo. it was posted on FB many times by various people. so I'm not sure who to attribute it to. This is the road on the way to my place. It was only finished a matter of a few weeks before the rain event hit.