September 2011
It was a terrifying time; the wind had been howling and the rain torrential for two days. I had watched the firemen opposite, stabilising everything in their yard. Every moveable object was taken inside, brown sticky paper criss-crossed on every window.
The hurricane was coming!
Two men dressed in yellow coats were knocking on our door, 'Fill your bath up with water.' they shouted above the wind.
'Whatever for?' I asked.
'We are on Yellow Alert.' he shouted back, 'We are expecting a final Red Alert about 2.00am. Water could be cut off as well as electricity.'
My husband and I looked at each other in amazement; we had not been living in the Northern Territories for very long and this was all new to us. Although we had close neighbours, we felt isolated, as there were no telephone connections to any of the houses.
Suddenly there was a desperate banging on our door, and shouting, 'Wrap up warm and wait at your front door.' Neighbours had arranged for us all to gather at the church nearby. Everybody had to link arms; with hindsight, we must have looked a motley lot, about to start line dancing!
The short walk to the church took ages, the wind swirling and the rain stinging our faces; during which time two dustbins, a shed and clumps of flowers flew past us in the air. We decided that if ever this happened again, we would wear tin helmets! Once inside the church it was so peaceful; the vicar had thoughtfully lit lots of candles for us. Food and drinks were on display.
We all sank gratefully onto the seats. I began to think about the turmoil other countries lived through:
People are dying through lack of nutrition, because of a draught; why is there no rain? Why can't they grow their own food? – No rain.
Why then, in other countries, are people drowning because of too much rain? Why are their rivers bursting their banks? – Too much rain.
Why are there tsunamis, knocking down buildings, killing people; what happens to cause them – is it something erupting from the sea bed?
For whatever causes these devastating conditions, I sat in that church and prayed that, one day, scientists in the far future would find the cause, to enable them to find a cure.