Daily Lessons from Life 11 January 2011 - Thousands flee Brisbane!

"Thousands flee Brisbane, flash floods kill 10 - CNA 11 January 2011 2109 hrs

BRISBANE, Australia - Thousands of people fled central Brisbane Tuesday as the panicked city braced for its worst flooding in 120 years, after terrifying flash floods left 10 dead and 78 missing nearby.

Workers evacuated en masse after the Brisbane River burst its banks and officials said 6,500 properties and the downtown area would be hit in Australia's third largest city, which was facing its biggest floods since 1893.

"This water is on its way," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman.

"Today is very significant, tomorrow is bad, and Thursday is going to be devastating for the residents and businesses concerned," he said.

The exodus by bus, train and car came a day after flash floods devastated the hillside town of Toowoomba, 125 kilometres (80 miles) west in Australia's Great Dividing Range, sweeping away houses and uprooting trees."

This flood is described as of 'biblical' proportion. That encountered by Noah and his Arks!

Lessons for me are:

1. environmental degradation has been going on for a while now. Some of us knew about it. Some don't. Many more don't care as it does not featured in their life. The flooding was around the outback away from Brisbarne. Now it hit the City center. That will make a lot of people rethink their apathy and complacency. Not that the Brisbarne's folks are not environmentally unfriendly. SOme of them are just paying for the neglect of others;

2. will other city folks around the world looked at this incident and really think deep and hard on what can the wealthiest, a fair assumption as more who live in modern cities are richer, do to salvage or slow or reverse this deterioration? I hope so. Many more need to become aware and involved themselves with saving Mother Earth!;

3. may those who perished rest in peace and those who survived this disaster be stronger. It is a natural disaster though it may have its root cause in man's neglect of the need to world as one united Earthly to really reverse this trend. It is a tall order. Someone had started the effort. Can I join and contribute my share?