The Water Pours In Through Our Roof

Cyclones Anthony and Yasi conspired to provide an extremely wet welcome for my parents and grandmother yesterday, and at one point last evening, I doubted whether they would ever return to visit us down under.  We had been watching the sky grow gradually darker during supper, and as the rain began, we were all drawn toward the windows in the dining room to get a closer look at the wall of rain pouring down outside of our house.  We had no idea we were just about to receive nearly five inches of water in the space of a few hours, and that far too much of this water was about to enter indoors.

The sound of dripping water on the dining room floor sent me scurrying to the laundry room for a bucket, and it was at this point I realized we had a problem.  Water was pouring in through the ceiling vent.  A portable bathtub would have been more appropriate than a bucket for this room.  In the kitchen, the same problem confronted us from the stove top vent.  I went from one spot to the other, uselessly carrying large beach towels.  Fortunately my parents were able to think more clearly and soon had all available rubbish bins employed catching water.  They filled in less than five minutes.  Just about that time we realized that the garage was flooding, and that the water was flowing in to the mudroom with astonishing force and rapidity. 

My dad and Katie jumped into action with large brooms, and after opening the garage door, they began sweeping it out into the driveway toward the street.  I had noticed that the outdoor drain was clogged with tree debris from our neighbor's house just two days prior, but had not progressed beyond calling our rental agent to alert her that it would need to be serviced.  In hindsight, I should have pried off the cover myself and cleaned it out with my bare hands, although I am not sure it could have handled all the water even had it been completely clean.

I am thankful for many things,  first of all, that we were home when it happened, and secondly, that I was not the only adult in the house.  My exhausted parents and grandmother had already said goodnight (after being up for nearly 40 hours) when the rain began, but they woke up in a hurry and provided invaluable help.  Ross and Cameron were driving home from a canceled cricket game, a trip that involved several turnarounds due to flooded streets.  Apparently 1300 calls were made in the course of the evening in our state of Victoria for help.  Cameron thought that he witnessed one driver running around amongst floating cars in his underwear, but it may have been the man in the picture Ross took below:

The damage in Victoria pales in comparison, of course, to that experienced by the residents of several seaside towns in the state of Queensland as a result of Cyclone Yasi.  The damage there is shocking to behold.  One octagenarian proclaimed to a newspaper reporter that he wished he had perished in the cyclone rather than having to face rebuilding his life after his entire house was destroyed.  That there has been so little loss of life from this category 5 storm is truly amazing.

Here is James earlier in the day.  He had the privilege of going to the airport with me to pick up our guests, and he greeted them with his "Little Aussie Bloke" t-shirt (on sale at Target after Australia Day).

We didn't have enough bowls, pots, pans, rubbish bins or buckets to contain the numerous drips and streams that came the ceiling through a few hours later.

My mom's eyes are closed in the next picture, but she wanted me to include it as proof of her hard work helping us clean up.  Mud and debris from the neighbor's trees poured in along with the water.  My dad thinks that the wind probably lifted up the roof tiles, allowing the rain to come straight in through the ceiling vents.

The mudroom after we pushed the water back into the garage:

Katie hurried from room to room worrying for the first ten minutes, but seemed to enjoy pushing the water out of the garage.

I don't have a picture of my grandmother from last night, but for the record, she spent this time clearing the table, rinsing the dishes, and completing the clean up from the supper table even though I urged her to sit down and stay away from the wet floors.

Fortunately the torrential rain did not last more than half an hour or so.  I had been worried we would need to stay up all night emptying buckets, but it soon slowed to a steady drip in the kitchen.  We left a few pots and pans in place and went to be hoping for the best.  The good news is that there appeared to be no leaking overnight.  We now have ceiling stains in several rooms downstairs, but no carpet was harmed. For this, and for so much more, we are grateful.

 

 

Comments

[janetjames]

Wow ! What a way to welcome your parents and grandma! They certainly will have lots of memories ! Glad to see they made it safely, and could even smile amidst their tiredness and unexpected activity ! Give them our love. (That t-shirt is so cute,BTW )

[Greg]

Glad you guys are okay. I just saw the videos of flash floods on the BBC and rushed to the blog. The weather's been kind of apocalyptic lately. All we have is piles of snow and pretty much bitter cold every day. But then it's pretty much the same in Dallas, I guess …

[Suzanne Pannelle]

Wow! I feel so bad for you guys! It must have been a crazy day. Although I am sorry that your parents (and grandma) had a long day, I am glad they were there to help you! It seems you are in for a chilly week as well. I hope that it warms up for your visitors. I had such a beautiful week there, they need to experience that as well! I don't think the weather could have been more perfect that week. Not that I had anything to do with it!

[Shanda]

Wow! That's crazy! So glad you were home and not alone---two very good things to be thankful for, as you pointed out! Great pictures though, of a family ready and willing to help one another.

[Allyson Ripple]

I agree that you were still fortunate, despite the ceiling stains, the flooded garage, and the overall damage Cyclone Yasi brought upon your home and neighborhood. How is everything after two years? I hope you’ve fixed the leaks by now, so that your home will be more prepared, if another cyclone comes (though I sincerely hope it won’t happen again to you and your family). The weather has been more erratic in recent years, and that’s why it is important to equip our homes and bolster our home security to prevent any further damage on our properties. Hope you check the walls, the roof, the gutters and the sidings regularly. :)