A tale of two storms and ex-cyclone Oswald

[Admin]

This is a sequel to

A tale of two storms.

and

Lightning - two strikes.

 

The scaffolding to replace the ceiling and roof damaged by those storms was put in place on the Friday before ex-cyclone Oswald struck Brisbane.

On the Saturday, Wendy and I went to see a Celtic Thunder concert at the Entertainment Centre on the Gold Coast.

 

Oswald arrived and the tarpaulins and sandbags on the roof did not hold.

The ceiling damage on the veranda and lounge was extended to the kitchen, stairwell and hallway.

With no one at home this time to sweep the incoming water away, it pooled on the lounge floor, then flowed downstairs into my office where it has left a tide mark about 5cm high.

The ceiling gave way above the new lift chair Wendy had only sat in once, and it acted as a good filter, so the water damage was cleaner this time.

 

Wendy and I lived in exile at the coast for three nights, and then moved to Toowong.

It was a very comfortable exile - the 5 star Sofitel at Broadbeach for 2 nights, and then an Oasis luxury apartment on Coronation Drive - just across the road from the Wesley where both of us had appointments due during the time.

 

The roof was finally repaired, and asbestos testing results available yesterday, and Wendy and I moved in just after lunch today.

The whole repair process has restarted - the make-safe team electrical disconnected yet more of our affected lights, and tested the affected power circuits. The make-safe building team repaired and reinforced the tarps.The make-safe asbestos team took samples and tested them, and are seeking permission to assess mold and furniture and carpet damage.

The builder was allowed to repair the external roof.

The ceiling and the internal damage await new assessment, the development of a new scope of works, and successful tendering.

 

The kitchen and lounge were originally one open plan space. We had put up cupboards and bookshelves to make a partition. To successfully replace the newly damaged ceiling, this had to go. Soon after we arrived today a couple of Good Samaritans turned up and spent hours moving stuff from the cupboards, packing books for the Lifeline Book Fair, then dismantling the cupboards and book shelves, and began removing the kitchen lino. Wendy and I are heartened to have such wonderful friends.

 

Suncorp has given us credit cards to cover the furniture damage from the first two storms, but the only electrical equipment that has arrived is a modem and an iMac.

A few minutes ago I got Wendy's new iMac working, and came down to start on my PC.

The keyboard is covered in mold, as are the arms of my computer chair, but it appears to be working.

 

650 emails poured in when I started up, so if you contacted me during our exile you might have to wait a while for a reply.

 

My thanks to Nev and Euan for posting some urgent topics for me while I was out of action, and to Nev and others for running the last phone-in meeting, which I hear was most successful.

 

Still soldiering on!

Jim