Australia in crisis

With so much of the land in the Eastern states of Australia struggling with floods, the people on this great land show their true colours.  So many have come forward with shovels and work gear in hand to pitch in with the clean up.  A monumental task, it will take years for the destruction to show full signs of recovery and still we are being battered by storms and rising waters.  The most amazing story to arise from this whole scenario comes from a small town to the mid north of Victoria.  Deciding that emergency services were already stretched and they couldn't just wait for help to arrive, the townfolk took it upon themselves to build a massive levy bank around the entire town as well as the big power station.  Their aim,  to keep the town dry and save the power station from total destruction.  How did it fare?  Let me tell you, these people need to be written up in the history books, because it worked.  Not one house got wet and the power station is safe. No, the waters haven't yet receded, but so far so good.  The broadcasts about the floods have been extensive and non stop, keeping everybody up to date on conditions and where emergency evacuation centres are.  Three cheers for the media for their efforts.  Without adequate warnings, many more people may have perished and many more families would be grieving.  My thoughts and prayers go to those families who now carry the sadness of losing loved ones.  Another heart wrenching story arose, it came in the form of a brave lad who made rescuers save his little brother first.  Upon their return for him, he and his mother had been swept away.  This young lad had such great love for his brother he sacrificed himself to see his brother to safety. Nobody can ever put words to this story that will do him justice.  I can only pray for his family that they cope with the loss.  To the world at large, we are doing it hard, it will take many years to recover, rebuild and re energise our homeland.  We have not only lost homes and loved ones.  We have lost food crops that would have fed our poplulation for the next year or more.  Our farmers are our lifeblood, they have endured many years of drought when crops would not grow and stock had to be put down for lack of food and water to sustain them. They have endured loss through bushfires and now through devastating floods.  Yet we are a strong nation and yes,  we will stand up and rebuild all that has been taken.  We are Australians.