The floods were scary – will it be okay?

My son Leo Turnbull is in Grade 3 at Mullum Public. He has been ruminating a bit about his experience of the floods. When he read Louie Angus’s account of his experience in The Echo, he asked me to help pen his own account – Lena Turnbull

I woke up early. It was raining a lot. My uncle and aunty were there. I asked them what was happening. They said a flood was starting. I started feeling anxious. I thought the house would flood. I felt worried because my mum and dad were in Melbourne for the weekend. I wished they were there with me.

My younger sister woke up at sunrise. The water was leaking in some places. The water started coming into my sister’s room and into the lounge room. It was coming in slowly.

My uncle has a dog called Dixie; she was inside with all of us. I quickly got the iPad, charger, and switch up high to keep them safe. My uncle was getting our toys off the ground onto the couch.

Water all over the ground

Soon there was water all over the ground. I didn’t know how high the water would go. After a while I looked outside and the street was like a river. I knew then we couldn’t leave the house. I was worried about my neighbours and friends.

Later in the day the water started going down. My uncle drove us all to the RSL. We stayed there until bedtime. I felt a bit scared but some of my friends from school were there. My nonno (grandpa) came and picked us up late in the night. I went to his house, settled into a bedroom and went to sleep. I was happy I was in a house with my family but I still missed my parents.

It took my parents another two days to get home because of the floods. I felt really happy to have them home.

Everyone is going to be okay

Our house was wrecked. There was mud everywhere. We had to rent a new house eventually. Since the flood I have been scared there will be another flood. After a disaster, a part of your brain gets worried about another disaster happening. It was scary but everyone is going to be okay.