Buckets

Encased within an old demountable building,

I yelled at my students all day.

I had to.

The constant rain beating down on us forced me to.

The noise never let up…

The rain fell in a constant white wall.

The windows fogged, but not before we noticed the school drains throwing water up into the air. By the afternoon, the playground fields were a lake and the back paddock flooded. We couldn’t leave our building without stepping in rivers of water.

By lunchtime, the first of the parents arrived. Soon enough, there was a steady stream of them at the door.

The kids realized that today was not an average day and their excitement levels slowly rose. Half an hour before the bell was due to ring, the kids were all taken to the hall. A movie was put on. Early arriving parents were forced to sign their children out – with more rigid strictness than normal. While some parents were angry, they should be thankful as each and every child at the school could be accounted for…

Our principal told the bus driver that children would not be on the bus today. I can imagine some more angry parents, as they were forced to get their children from the school…. But… we knew that each of our children were safe. Staff that lived locally were stationed in the hall, well after the bell… watching and waiting. Others of us were debriefed in the staffroom. While the principal, a father of four, was ready to bunker down and wait in the hall with other teachers and remaining students, the rest of us went home… We left with the principal’s words ringing in our ears… Drive safely. Get home safely.

Leaving the school, I noticed cars pulled up on the side of the road. People were looking at the flood water. The parks and walkways were hidden under a sudden lake.

The roads were almost empty – eerily empty. Flood water covered most flat surfaces. Only once did I feel water grip my tyres and threaten to take my car. A car and truck, not so lucky, had crashed together, and reminded me to be careful.

My own street had been covered in water. Had I been an hour earlier, I would not have made it home. The debris from the sudden flooding of the storm water drain lay across the road. Water still gushed along the drain. A man, clad in a wet raincoat, was sweeping the road free of sand and rubbish.

Pulling into my wet and flooded garage…

I felt good.

My car had survived the trip home.

While the outside of my house was wet and boggy,

the inside was warm and dry.

As the rain continues to beat down, with no sign of clearing…

I can’t help but wonder about others.

A man lost his life from these rains today.

Sirens frequently fly across the sky.

Roads were closed and cars actually drifted off in the flood waters.

Roads were closed because of flooding.

Roads were closed because of rock slides…

And a tree blocked another road.

Some schools are expecting to hold children

until after five o’clock.

Reports differ, but it seems that three times the monthly average rainfall fell in an eight hour period.

That’s a lot of rain.

And tonight, they’re expecting a high tide.

If the weather is like this tomorrow, I’ll be checking the radio. If roads are closed, we’re to report to our closest school.

From the inside, I can absolutely say that children in primary schools are kept safe – even when natural disaster zones are declared in the area.