A long time to heal
Long after a cyclone or a natural disaster the devastation still remains. Yasi’s destruction has been all but forgotten except by those who are still rebuilding their lives. The rest of us move on.
I spoke to a woman recently who said she lived at Mission Beach. ‘How are you doing?’ I asked, thinking she’d be over the worst of it by now.
‘Fine,’ she said. ‘We’ve just moved for the fourth time and we’re in a demountable now so that’s better.’
‘Demountable?’
‘Yeah, we’re been in tents, then caravans so this is good.’
‘And your house?’
‘It’s trashed. Insurance will never cover the full cost of rebuilding’ She shrugged. ‘We’ll probably have to sell the land. We don’t have money to rebuild and we still owe the bank.’
This morning when I went for a walk on the beach a large chunk of pontoon had washed up on Trinity. It’s an ugly reminder that while we’ve all got on with our lives the immense damage to property and, most importantly, people is a long way from being repaired.
15 Responses to “A long time to heal”
Comment from Helene
Time November 9, 2011 at 7:38 am
Hard to know Sandy, but there wasn’t a lot of damage in the Cairns waterways during the cyclone so we suspect it’s come from further south. It looks like it’s been in the water for a while… And the currents do bring all sorts of stuff onto Trinity
I was horrified to find out how many people were still displaced nine months after Yasi. Another woman has just moved back into their house after living in her studio since the storm. I guess Brisbane residents who were severely affected by the floods are probably in the same position.
Comment from Cathy Howat
Time November 9, 2011 at 10:49 am
We still have people in temporary accomodation after the Black Saturday fires, and, as yet,m not one Community Fire Refuge has been built due to beauracrstic infighting
Comment from Rachael Johns
Time November 9, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Oh Helene. Thank you for posting this to remind us what we DO have. That poor woman, and I’m sure there are many others 
Comment from Helene
Time November 9, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Cathy, that’s dreadful. That’s almost three years ago… And I understood the Community Fire Refuges were a priority. How sad that politicians and bureaucrats cant get their act together.
Comment from Helene
Time November 9, 2011 at 8:00 pm
It’s so easy to take it all for granted isn’t, Suzanne. I love Anita Heiss’s blog because she makes a point of saying ‘I’m grateful for…’
Hope your NaNoWriMo is rocketing along!
Comment from Cathy Howat
Time November 10, 2011 at 6:02 am
There is a ot of infighting between State and Local Governments, and alot of needless red tape. Also Christine Nixon, who was bloody useless as Police Chief, was made head of the Bushfire Reconstruction Authority, where she was just as bloody useless. They have not even agreed to put powerlines underground, the power companies are whining about the cost!
Comment from Helene
Time November 10, 2011 at 7:33 am
And we pay their wages… What do we have to do to get effective politicians???
Comment from Cathy Howat
Time November 10, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I think it’s called “A Revolution”
Comment from Cathy Howat
Time November 10, 2011 at 2:53 pm
You bring the Coffee, Sandy brings the cake and I’ll bring the guns, we can start with Bob Katter
Comment from Helene
Time November 10, 2011 at 4:01 pm
We’ll need Zeus in that case, Cathy. He’s very persuasive 
Comment from Cathy Howat
Time November 11, 2011 at 7:06 am
He can bite ankles and be the mascot!
Comment from Sandy
Time November 15, 2011 at 7:57 am
Sorry I’ve been AWOL girls, dratted work!
Cake, check.
And don’t you just HATE it when a woman doesn’t do her job properly – really lets the team down.
Comment from Helene
Time November 15, 2011 at 8:16 am
Work is such a pain when it gets in the way of life, Sandy!!
Comment from Sandy
Time November 9, 2011 at 7:30 am
That’s sad, Helene, makes one realise how lucky one is.
I wonder if that pontoon came from up your way or from the floods down here.