Waiting by the phone to hear if all family are ok. Thankfully all are safe and well.

There are 15 people who have been killed and 79 unnaccounted for. In 2 cities alone there have been over 25000 homes lost. I am not sure the figure further up north but in the 2 cities near me that is the figues so far.

My parents are one of those. By 5.30 Wednesday morning the was lapping at their fence by 10.30 it was up at their windows and by afternoon their house was under water. It rose to 19.5 metres which is around 64 feet.

Mum and dad are insured so the house will be rebuilt and the contents will be replaced. It's not the house we grieve, it's the home as I am sure is the case for the other 24999 families.

What is most important is that my mother and father and alive and well, apart from being shocked and stressed.

Mum wishes she had grabbed more personal things, more photo's etc. They did not have much warning that their city was in danger but thankfully more warning thhan the people about an hour and half up from them who had no warning at all as.

The devastation that was caused by that sudden inland tsunami is what alerted the city that they were next in line as that water came rushing down the rivers.

Mum and dad had 3 hours to evacuate. I am forever thankful to the people who helped them. It has been so frustrating not being able to help as the only highways I can use have been flooded plus we were stranded on the Island due to floods 20 mins inland from us.

We are going to try and head up there today to help out as the waters are receding. Half of my family were able to get there yesterday and have started taking everything out of the house. I am trying to work out a route now as the most of the highways are still cut off but I think there is one I can get through and then it will be a lot of zig zagging between suburbs to get to my parents but I think we can do it.

The people of Queensland are in shock, disbelief and heartbroken by what has happened to our beautiful State. But we will put that aside and rebuild, it will take a lot of time and money but we are all fighters and believers in getting back up again after the biggest of knocks.

There have been over 15000 people who have registered as volunteers in the past 24 hours. There are volunteers from New Zealand who have flown over as well. Electricians all over the country have offered to check every home for free, people with escavators and bobcats have offered to come in and lift/pick up and take away peoples belongings that have washed out of their homes. There are trucks, cars, houses that have floated from their original spots or been forced down the road by the torrent of water.

Millions of dollars raised by Australians this past week will go to the clean up and to help families, there has been assistance from other countries for which we are all thankful.

I am eager to get to my parents and help but dreading seeing what has happened to the city I grew up in and my children were raised in and my parents property. I cannot wait to give my parents a big hug!

One thing that makes me smile and does not suprise me is that the Aussie humour has not been defeated by this devastation. It's very uplifting that we can all find that.

I have pictures of the floods around my parents that my sister in law took but no time to upload them so maybe next entry.

Fingers crossed I can get through today!

Thank you for all the emails, texts and phone calls I have received!

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