As I type this we are in the midst (middle?) of a major flood here in South East Queensland. The rain has been consistent and heavy.
I think it started Friday (today is Sunday), and it’s not let up since. We spent hours on Friday night prepping – digging trenches in the yard, and setting up buckets under the kitchen ceiling. We’ve used every towel, doona, blanket, and sheet to try to keep the leaks under contol. But thank goodness (at this stage) we still have power, internet, running water, and dry beds to sleep in.
Many people in the region have not been so lucky.
Once you’ve prepped though, and you’re not in immediate danger, then it’s about monitoring. And if you’re like me, on every channel (Twitter, Signal, Facebook Community Groups, Instagram, Messenger), your monitoring can easily get a little out of hand.
Yesterday afternoon I remembered how it was ten years ago in 2011 (and the post I wrote about it) that I found myself doing exactly the same thing – disaster-viewing.
There’s monitoring to be mindful and prepared, but then at some stage, it gets out of control and you’re obsessing. That is when might be in trouble.
The Conversation published an article about the impact of disaster-viewing on children, I think it can impact all of us.