I wanted to post a short blog on the current flooding in Queensland. I will give a detailed update on BEST CDG in my next blog.
As you may have seen, Queensland has been having one of the worst disasters in its history and the floods have caused major disaster, even in the city of Brisbane where I live.
You have probably seen coverage on the news and the coverage is a fair reflection of what has and is happening here down under.
I live in New Farm, in an apartment on a road back from the Brisbane River. Even though the hardest part for me was not having power for two days, some of my neighbours have been inundated with problems. Brisbane will not be the same again for a very long time.
Where I live, there was 
a floating walkway that led to the city (left). I used it all the time for running, cycling and strolls into the city, but only parts of that walkway remain - some parts were washed away the council removed others due to the damage it could cause.
In New Farm, was not as bad as other areas in Brisbane, but substantial damage has been caused. Our local supermarket went under and most businesses lost power for a number of days. Many homes were flooded.
The image below shows the park next to me and the ferry terminal going under. The top of the stands you see are the public bike stands. The boat is not normally there!
The flooding in Brisbane has damaged almost all the ferry terminals and there is suggestion that non have survived, the ferries are a major source of public transport.
The clean-up has begun but the damage is immense, the picture below shows a street near me - there is normally no water there!
All of Queensland has been hit and there have been many lives lost, the scenes you may have seen in northern Queensland were remarkable and the impact on people’s lives will last forever. Nobody thought that the tragedy of the floods in 1974 could hit Brisbane again, but Mother Nature has showed her power. You can see before and after pictures of the flooding here.
My wife and I were safe through all this and all we had to deal with was a loss of power and difficulty of buying food. This paled in comparison to the thousands of Queenslanders who have suffered loss of life, loss of homes and possessions, and the true economic damage is yet unknown.
As you go about your business today, please think about the struggle that many thousands of people in Queensland will have to endure over the coming months.
Chris Dale, general manager, BEST CDG
