When dreams of flooding unfortunately come true

Tonight, every TV newscast was talking about the floods in Queensland. That's the area where I spent my time from early August to mid October. Now, they say that 75% of the state is affected by the floods.

Floods have been part of the regular news coverage in Australia for the last month: the Murray River in New South Wales, this other area in Western Australia and then Queensland. Floods are part of the Australian reality, especially at the end of the draught such as now. I didn't think too much of it, figuring it was nature's way... (though I still don't get why people build so close to the water).

I was in Queensland for a week over Christmas, but there were no floods where I was, just a lot of rain. And well, when I had been in Brisbane in September, it rained a whole lot, so it seemed normal enough. But now, the flood has hit Brisbane. And that's where some of my friends are. Evidently, tragedies touch you more when it's somewhere you've been or when you know the people who are affected by it.

For now, my friends are all posting on Facebook that they're ok, offering others a place to stay as most seem to live on hills of some sort. At work, as the employees from the Brisbane office have been sent home so we're covering for them.

We have a big dance camp kicking off this weekend in Adelaide, South Australia. I was looking forward to seeing all my Brissie friends there, and hope that they will still be able to make it.

This event also reminds me of one of my most vivid child memories. I was 8, my family had just moved to the farm in Ripon. A nightmare woke me up. It was raining heavily that night and I dreamt that the water was rising. I went to wake up my parents, or at least my dad, as he was the one who put me back to bed. He explained to me that our home was on a hill and that we shouldn't worry too much about flooding.
Oh and he also told me that I could change my dream and escape by shrinking myself and using my toy sailboat if I really needed to. That seemed like a good solution, and I never had that nightmare again.

As for houses on hills, most of them have been quite a bit above sea level. And the creek behind my current abode in Melbourne is still quite lower than the house.

However, if I had to have that dream again, I would also make sure that the boat is tied up, well above water level so it won't be swept away like the ones on tonight's newscast.