June Storm

Well you have all read about the June storms on the long weekend in Newcastle and I just wanted to record it so that I will have it.

Friday 8th June - it was a terrible day and maddison had just been in hospital and this was her first day at school since tuesday and my first day at work as well. Taylah woke up complaining that she didn't feel very well, the weather was atrocious already outside and freezing cold. Taylah wanted to come home with me at 11 when I finished work and I said that I would see. Anyway when I had finished the weather hadn't got any better so decided to take both of them home to the warmth and safety.
We left school and went to Warners Bay to get some milk and bread and they were already blacked out. I still didn't realise the severity of what was to come. Daddy came home at lunch time which was about 12.30 and I still didn't realise how bad the weather was. we had a terrific storm and it hailed and was windy. the rain was so bad our garage flooded and I had to make sure that the scrapbooking stuff that I store there was not getting damaged.
Greg went back to work and just went down the road and said the road is flooded and a car is stuck in there. Still didn't really realise what was to come.
So the girls and I pottered around the rest of the arvo, I got tea ready and still hadn't had the radio or tv on to see any news. It wasn't until my neighbour Paul rang and said is everything ok. I said yes why?. He said because Greg is not home and I said yes but he doesn't normally get home till 7.30 and my neighbour said Michelle the area is flooded, Cardiff is flooded and he probably can't get home. By this time there was no mobile service but I managed to get a text message to him to at least know that he was ok. But it was still another hour or so before he actually made it home.
Mum and dad were in Noosa and bronwyn and David were in NT.
That night still didn't realise how bad things were.
Went to bed and Taylah came in about 11.45 and said it was too noisy in her bed and because I had been up with maddison during the week because of her teeth I was really not in the mood. So she jumped into our bed and I went out to her bed. I would never have forgiven myself if a tree had fallen on the back of the house. Anyway I went to her bed and because I was so tired I was dead to the world until Greg came in with a torch in my face. I thought I had forgotten to put the alarm on for him to get up to go to work. No stupid we are in the middle of a cyclone. We had lost power.I jumped up and then could hear the noise. the kids were ok and asleep. how I don't know because the noise and the branches hitting the house was very scary. anyway I looked out the window and could see my neighbours with their torches looking out as well. I saw things flying across the sky and heard the branches hitting the house and roof. All we could do is get the kids and went into our bed and layed there and prayed that we did not get a tree through our house. we were so lucky compared to so many other people in our area and newcastle.
We awoke to no power and the funniest thing was trying to find a. batteries and b. a radio which was our only communication to the world. Then all I could think of was my sisters house in the bush at wallsend, surrounded by trees. we didn't want to drive anywhere as we were being told to stay put. but I needed to go and check their place and mum and dads'. rang my brother Paul who is in Thornton near Maitland and they didn't even realise how bad things were. My brother said that he would go and check out Bronwyn's place as he had to go to his FIL just down the rode. So thank goodness there were trees down at bronwyn's but none on the house. I wasn't looking forward to ringing them on their first week of their 5 week adventure to tell them they would have to come home as there was a tree through their house. Greg and I and the kids went to mums and couldn't get in as there was a tree down at the beginning of their street. but we parked and walked down to their place and everything was alright there too thank goodness. we were all so lucky.
No power till sunday lunchtime, we had fun on saturday night the kids thougth it was great. we all slept in the one bed and there was a few nights after that in the coming weeks that we did this because I did not want Taylah out in the back room.
thank goodness for the radio.
Mum and Dad were worried and so was Bronwyn but we reassured them that everything was fine. I am sure that they thought we were just covering it up.

Anyway the kids couldn't go to school till Wednesday and my sisters kids school didn't go back till Thursday I think it was.
The Pasha bulker landed on Nobby's Beach. What a site it was. I took the kids in. we parked in the main part of newcastle and then walked. I didn't care, i wasn't going to miss this opportunity. but my husband thought we were crazy and shouldn't be doing site seeing. Yeah right. My brother went in to town on the Friday night of the storm, how he didn't get caught.
cars floating down the main street of newcastle, warners bay and wallsend. Part of wallsend shopping centre was wiped out. I have never seen such devastation. we went down to warners bay foreshore and the water was nearly up to the road, couldn't see the walkway or the jetty. it was a mess.
But we survived and thank goodness we did. Lots of people are still having trouble and not back in their homes.

getting RSI now will have to stop till tomorrow