Sunday, February 6, 2011

Yasi the home wrecker

I'm still trying to get my head round this. And I wasn't even IN it.

Paradise lost. This was all rainforest.

This is my sister Ks' house.



Looking up under the eaves and you can see how much the house moved. It'll have to be knocked down.


The house over the road lost roof tiles, which smashed into my sisters' house, and caused all the damage.




See the hole in the wall? And smashed louvres? That's where roof tiles punched clean through, letting 280 kmph winds into the house.


Sheeting started blowing off the inner walls.


Can you see the flecks of shredded leaves on the kitchen walls? But note that the light-bulb is still in one piece. I reckon they should take that light-bulb with them everywhere they go, it's clearly pretty special.


Honest to God, my sisters' kitchen doesn't normally look like this. You could eat off her floors any other time.

My other sister, Mrs Practical, took down her truck with a generator, fuel, a gas bottle, food etc, as soon as she was able. She took home my mum, and loads and loads of wet washing. Because of course, all the sheets, towels, bedding and clothing were dripping wet with storm water, and no power to wash them and no sun (or clothes-line) to dry them.

K is OK. If they had been sleeping in their bed, her husband would have most likely been killed by those tiles punching through their bedroom wall, but they were instead huddled in the downstairs bathroom, for the 10 hours or so it took Yasi to pass.

I can't tell you how much this breaks my heart. I might live in WA now, but North Queensland is still home. I sob my heart out for hours on the plane everytime I have to leave. And something in me wants to be there now, helping to clean up and re-build.

8 comments:

  1. OH Toni, i cannot even begin to imagine what it must of been like for your mum Irene and your sister, such devastation, i am sooo glad that they are OK xxxx

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  2. That is heartbreaking. I'm so sorry Toni. I'm glad your sister and mum are okay, but how terrible to sustain all that damage. xx

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  3. You may live in WA, but it's clear to me that your home is QLD.
    Just think, if those roof tiles had missed, your sister's house would be fine.

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  4. So much devastation - those images of the Port Hinchinbrook marina at Cardwell with all the boats piled up against the shore were just unbelievable.

    Still can't believe (and so glad!) so few lives were lost.

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  5. So, so horrible. I'm so glad your sister and family are okay. I can't imagine how hard it must be to go through something like that, and have to clean-up, regroup, and rebuild. Big hugs. xo

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  6. How absolutely terrifying to go through. Let alone facing the clean-up afterwards. I'm so thankful for you that they're okay at least.

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  7. Is horrible as the subject is you did a wonderful job with this post. You have conveyed in one post quietly and sincerely the reality and enormity of this cyclone. This is what I wanted the media to be able to report. The facts. What really happened. I can't remember them reporting about all the houses that are now made unsafe. Rooves ripped off seemed to rate higher. Oh the reality of no power and sodden linens, another huge hurdle for people. The holes punched through really brings home the deadliness of high wind missiles.

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  8. Oh god, that is so heartbreaking. I understand what you mean when you say "I may live in WA but now but...." home is always where the people are isn't it, and it's awful having to watch from afar.

    Now, apart from the Yasi devastation. I have posted a little Diva question in response to your comment on my "traveling tampon" blog.

    Kxx

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