March 01, 2022
Brisbane flood forces quick exit
A Māori living in Brisbane says the speed with which floodwater engulfed his home left little time to get out.
Jake Hāmi Hartley from Ngāti Hine says the flooding which has submerged parts of south-east Queensland is similar to what he experienced when he moved his whānau to the city in 2011 – and found the house he was moving into was underwater.
This time the drama happened at night.
“I woke up at 2 a.m. to my cousin knocking on my window saying his room was flooding. From there we started getting the essential stuff – everything we needed. We got our clothes packed and started getting the family down to move some of the more precious stuff to us. The important thing is we got ourselves out – everyone was safe. The water level just kept rising and rising so there wasn’t much we could do once we got the initial stuff out. It was pretty quick.” Mr Hartley says
At least eight people have died in the floods and several are missing, and the rain band is now moving south into New South Wales.