Comment by Jo Robinson, Equip Project Coordinator, University of New England

Natural disasters are so unpredictable and unsettling and Cyclone Alfred’s journey was no different. Originally building off the coast of Mackay, we thought it wouldn’t affect us on the Gold Coast – until it started heading south. No one is sure when or exactly where the cyclone will land but the media start to prepare us for the worst case scenario.

The build up

Wednesday morning we all receive a text message from Gold Coast City Council -PREPARE TO SHELTER, be home by 6pm.

Daughter 1 finishes work in Surfers Paradise, closes the Nightclub she manages until further notice and heads home to the apartment we share. Daughter 2 finishes working in our hair salon, cancels any appointments for the rest of the week and heads home to pack a bag and joins us. No one knows what to expect, we’ve never experienced a cyclone before, especially not on the 5^th floor of an apartment building. All the outdoor furniture is brought into the apartment and a eurobed blown up for Daughter 2 to sleep on.

Thursday – Cyclone Alfred has stalled off the coast, stay home they say, he could change his mind and move quickly. The winds are stronger than normal but not cyclonic and we still have power. We’re all afraid of what’s to come and we’re bored. Netflix is our friend, there is no food in any of the supermarkets, we order home delivery Pizza and Thai.

The waiting game

Friday – Alfred is moving again, very slowly. We’re bored, no one is sleeping well, . Then it starts, terrifying winds, torrential rain and at 7pm the power goes off. The wind is noisy and the rain is coming in sideways and lots of it. We light candles and eat a tub of ice cream between us because we know it will be melted by morning. Through all the waiting and uncertainty, one thing became clear: family became our anchor. We might have been stuck indoors, bored out of our minds, but we were in it together, weathering the storm.

Saturday – still no power, news on our phones of fallen trees and flooding. A knock at the door at 10.00am to tell us the basement carpark has flooded. We walk down 5 flights of stairs and then wade through shin deep water to move the car to an open air carpark with plenty of trees around it (what could possibly go wrong?). Daughter 1 is called to say the Nightclub in Surfers Paradise is to open tonight as they haven’t lost power. I don’t want her to drive in the dangerous conditions but she’s an adult so I can’t really stop her.

Daughter 2 has a full day booked in the Hair salon but there is no power so she has to cancel. We visit a friend in the same apartment building and learn to play Rummikub and Sequence by candlelight. The wind is still blowing really hard, rain is getting heavier and heavier and still no power. I’m terrified about Daughter 1 driving home at 2am from work.

The aftermath

Sunday – we woke up to restored power (but no internet, air conditioning or lifts) and the news that Alfred crossed landfall north of Brisbane. The winds are slowing down but the rain is still hard. Daughter 1 messaged during the night that she’d booked a room in Surfers rather than risk driving home (I almost weep with relief) Daughter 2 manages to contact yesterday’s clients and they are both available to have their hair done today (another relief – financially this time). I spend the day throwing out the spoiled food (carrying it down 5 flights of stairs to the skip bin) and putting the outdoor furniture back on the balcony. Power is back on in Mermaid Waters so Daughter 2 goes home after work and Daughter 1 stays in Surfers Paradise another night. I have the apartment to myself for the first time in 5 days. I place the eurobed by the open balcony door and sleep there (it’s too hot in my bedroom without air conditioning)

Monday – I wake up feeling exhausted. Everyone I love is safe, the cyclone is gone, we still have no internet, air conditioning or lifts and the supermarkets still don’t have any stock. For no apparent reason at all, I weep, with relief that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been but fatigued from all the days worrying about the family and what might go wrong. My knees are sore from all the trips up and down the stairs each day and sleeping without air conditioning in this humidity is awful. There’s a palm tree in the complex pool. The trucks have arrived to suck the water out of the basements and the maintenance staff are cleaning up the fallen branches and putting the rubbish bins back around the complex, things feel like they’re getting back to normal.

The dog barks at the door and I check to find a notice poked under the door that the lifts were damaged in the flood and require replacement parts that could take up to 14 days to arrive.

Tuesday – after a massive sleep last night and most of yesterday, I wake up feeling much better. Take the dog for 3 walks today, she appreciates the gesture after being stuck in the apartment for such a long time. The sun is out and the wind has completely gone, we walk to the fruit market and buy a bag of apples and a bucket of red plums. As we head home, it hits me, I have to carry them up the fire stairs. The fire stairs are hot and humid and each trip leaves me dripping wet with sweat . Needless to say, I was in desperate need of a shower when I made it back upstairs.

Wednesday – I wake up this morning, my knees are aching, I don’t think I can do the stairs right now so I make some breakfast and get ready for work.

The Alfred gift continues. At 12.00pm, my neighbour knocks on my door, standing there covered in blood. She is 79 and tripped on the mat and landed on her nose. We have no systems by which to contact management, no lifts. I call her daughter in law and ask her to call the ambulance while I try to stop the bleeding (I am no nurse but do know basic first aid) The ambulance arrived, they couldn’t find their way up to the apartment but managed to locate the  building manager who escorted them up the fire stairs. They treated her, then assisted her to walk down 5 flights of stairs to take her to hospital.

The storm may be gone but the echoes of Alfred linger in our lives, both physically and emotionally. Yet, as the days move forward and life begins to return to normal, I’m reminded of the strength in weathering not just the storm but the aftermath. We may still be dealing with the chaos, but we’re all safe, and that’s something to be grateful for.

If you have been impacted by Cyclone Alfred, support is available. 

If you feel you need support, please call Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.