2022 Latrobe - Mersey River Flood.

No.5 in my series of short stories.

Wed 12th Oct 9.30pm and sound asleep it was the night that two kind gentlemen bashed on my front door, they were from the SES and came to warn of the approaching flood, they explained to me the procedures if I did need to evacuate. Stay upstairs sounds like my best option that is where I will retreat to with a paint brush an electric jug of water (lets hope the power stays on) and some tea bags. 3am in the morning and my head was racing. What to do but get up write a small memoir have a cuppa and a slice of toast and with a little bit of luck be able to go back to bed and sleep on. I am not painting this morning just writing. The last few days have been a bit of a turmoil though I did spend a fair bit of time at my easel. A new piece of art is evolving, so glad to always have something to fall back on. Can't stop the rain so learn to deal with it like everything else in my wonderful life. First thing in the morning I must do what a person in a flood should do and attend to those low lying objects and get them to higher ground. You can guess for me it was a lot of art work sitting against walls and under tables. A coffee would be a good start to my day and low and behold my lovely Barista friend knocked and offered me a light breakfast and a coffee, but as his cafe was closed for the day it was a back door entry. Lots of rain in the still quiet street, some people sandbagging the fronts of their shops and buildings hoping to save them. I was once or twice asked why I hadn't bagged my gallery and home and my reply was, I don't think that it was worth the time due to my home being made of weatherboard where water can enter between every board. Maybe a truck load of silicon would have helped more. No need to go into the happenings of the flood as a lot of other States are inundated with water and they will have bigger stories to tell. This will change peoples lives, lots for the worst and where it may help others. After all it is a country of droughts and flooding rains. People were gathering down the bottom of the street to view the rising flood, large trees and different objects that had been picked up by the water as it raced past properties finding its way to the sea. Back to bed. You will hear from me another day.