Family’s back fence escape
THE Abraham family knew they had to evacuate, but a fallen tree on their street left them no choice but to hop the back fence with their pets and wade through nearly waist-deep water to safety.
“We went ourselves over the back fence, two dogs, a cat and four of us, it was interesting,” mum Karmen Abraham said.
“When we heard that that could happen (the spillway gates opening), we left.
“When we saw the tide come in the last time and it didn’t go down, we said OK, it’s time to go.
“We knew we would have to go at some stage, so we had everything sitting in the middle of the floor ready to go, so there was no looking for things.”
The family’s highset home was inundated by a 1.5m wall of water, wrecking a stash of white goods, an office and three cars.
Ms Abraham, husband Craig, teenage children Caydee and Cooper and their pets, including 11-year-old dog Banjo, went to a friend’s house.
But that, too, was inundated, forcing them to flee to another’s mate place in Gulliver, before eventually moving to Wulguru with family where they were “high and dry”.
“You need to get away from water, and get your head sorted because you can’t think,” Ms Abraham said.
“You’re that scared and worried.
“It could be worse, some people didn’t have a highset house. I think I’m lucky, actually.
“Those people out in Idalia with lowset homes, it’s that much worse. How do you get back from that? I feel sorry for them, those poor buggers.”