Bundle of joy amid storm
As Cyclone Debbie ravaged the Whitsunday coast for hours upon end, six exhausted people hugged each other and cried inside an ambulance station which had lost power.
But they were tears of joy from three paramedics, a doctor and two proud parents, whose daughter arrived during the category four storm.
Tiny Billianna was the first of two baby girls welcomed into the world at Queensland ambulance stations during the devastating cyclone.
Billianna’s mother, Suzanne, went into labour about midnight on Tuesday. Inundated roads prevented Suzanne and partner Tim driving to hospital.
So paramedics went to her Airlie Beach home, which had lost power, and found her in darkness in the bathroom, having contractions every two minutes.
The initial plan was for the SES to ferry her down the river from Airlie Beach to Proserpine Hospital
‘‘But, I decided that, no, it was too dangerous as her contractions were growing stronger every minute and it’s dark,’’ paramedic Pamela Price said.
Instead they took Suzanne to the nearby Whitsunday ambulance station, where lights and equipment had been rigged up from a generator. A few hours later, at 4.20am, baby Billianna was born.
‘‘We did call in an off-duty doctor,’’ Price said. ‘‘She came along and oversaw us.’’
Price described the delivery in the midst of Debbie’s chaos as ‘‘surreal’’ and ‘‘absolutely amazing.’’
‘‘It was beautiful. Everyone was crying and hugging each other. It was wonderful.’’
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called Billianna’s arrival a piece of good news in a devastating situation. Price agreed. ‘‘This place is shredded, there’s mass destruction everywhere so to see this absolutely beautiful birth of a most beautiful little girl . . . all the spirits are lifted.’’
In a second boost, another baby girl was delivered at an ambulance station at Nebo, about 100km southwest of Mackay, at 10.34am yesterday.
Queensland Ambulance Service said the healthy newborn and her mother were still at the station because of road closures but were doing well.