Falling

The river has peaked this morning, the levees were high enough (30cm left), we kept it dry. The tide is going out now and so is all the water. The river has started to fall and the worst should be over now, but an evacuation warning is still in place. If the water keeps going down and no more rain falls in the catchments inlands, the roads should open again in a day or three.

It's heart warming to see how the town copes with what Mother Nature trows at it. Most shops are still open and keep the town almost normal. The supermarket has been stocked to it's max and should keep most people fed. The bakery is working on full speed while the roads are cut of for new deliveries. A lot of people who live out of town are staying with friends in town to keep an eye on each other.

And I think like almost places, when something happens or about to happen, people gather outside for a chat. So many people are standing on the levees looking at the sheer power of the water, being awed by the trees that keep floating by.

The State Emergency Services (SES) has been very busy and very organised. They are everywhere: manning the pumps to keep the town dry, filling sandbags for lower laying houses, in helicopters getting people of their houses, in boats checking up on isolated properties. They make sure everybody is safe and stays that way. They are all volunteers! Working their asses of day and night, that's community spirit. (http://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/about/)