2011-02-04 0800

Where to start? I’m trying to put together a prioritised list for getting the house straightened out because my head is just full of “this needs doing, that needs doing” thoughts. Maybe writing the list and this post will help me focus.

We decided to go back home last night as there is mains water in Silkwood; that’s something Tully doesn’t have yet.

The phone lines are supposed to be working but we took our stash of manual phones to the council offices before the cyclone as we knew the fancy schamancy VoIP system would be worthless under these circumstances. This means we have a working phone line at home but no phone to plug into it. Lisa’s iPhone is working some of time but the connection is very flaky. The EDGE connection means that Internet connectivity on the iPhone is too slow to be usable. We have Lisa’s 3G dongle and will try to connect with that later to post this. If you’re reading this you know it worked.

The main house structure looks Ok at first with the visible damage mostly superficial. Closer inspection shows that the building has twisted. Internal doors are sticking in their frames and some of the ceiling boards are visibly warped. Rain is dripping in from front to back along the ridge line so the floor is covered in pots and pans. There was a horrendous thunderstorm that blew through yesterday evening and that really didn’t help matters. The missing gutters and downpipes are letting rain run between the walls and the verandah roofs and this is directing water through the walls to the fibro inner linings and they are saturated.

Last night, about mid-evening, a massive thunderstorm blew in from the north. Not as loud as the cyclone but in other circumstances it would have been pretty evil and of course that brought more rain. More rain means more leaks and more pans, buckets and trays on the floor.

2011-02-04 16:50pm

With more irony than any one needs the mains water failed this morning. Now we can’t wait for more rain as this means we can collect it for washing dishes and ourselves. It’s also thundering again.

Today was pretty busy. Lots of cleaning and fixing. Lots of shifting of wood, metal and green waste to the side of the road ready to be picked up later. I managed to contact the SES to arrange for some roof tarpaulins but they won’t be here for at least two days.

Went for a chat with our lovely neighbours, Dale and Morris, and they served us tea and cake. After two days of almost no food it tasted pretty damn good. They also let us recharge my netbook and that was most handy after our UPS died the second time we used it. The UPS was going to keep cameras and phones charged while we have no power. Talking of power, Ergon Energy say it will be at least four weeks before the mains supply is back to normal. Not sure about the water yet.

Lisa rescued some frozen food that was still at fridge temperature and is currently cooking a huge meal.