Ingham-raised Isabella Melara said she had been in constant contact with her mum, who was among the thousands of locals trapped by floodwaters surrounding the Queensland town. Source: The Catholic Leader.
Ms Melara, who works in Townsville diocese youth ministry, said footage from her mum’s phone showed the land around her family home “like an ocean”.
“The give way sign in our street was almost completely covered,” she said.
“Mum was lucky enough to have friends that evacuated her and took her in.
“And I think in these times particularly, there’s an advantage to living in a small community that… people really come together in those times and you really see the best of people in the most terrible of circumstances.
“We’re so blessed.”
Ingham residents have been without power for days and are running out of supplies.
Townsville Bishop Tim Harris asked people to pray for Ingham. He said he wanted to be there with the people but getting there was a major challenge.
He was exploring alternate options to travel to Ingham so that he could be close to the people, but he would take advice from the locals on best timing.
He said Ingham was a beautiful part of the world, a great launching point for lots of beaches, and the town had been on an upswing before the floods hit.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited flood-affected parts of north Queensland on Thursday.
He announced an $8 million community relief fund would be available for the eight impacted councils, as well as the activation of disaster recovery payments.
Further north, in Cairns, Bishop Joe Caddy said there had not been the level of devastation experienced in Ingham but there were many people, especially in Cardwell and Tully, who had suffered serious losses in the inundation.
“Certainly our prayers are with everyone affected and the first responders,” Bishop Caddy said.
Bishop Caddy was installed in Cairns late last year and said he was learning a lot about the resilience of north Queenslanders.
FULL STORY
Bishop Harris: pray for flood-stricken Ingham (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
