Quite strange feelings emerging.
The State’s emergency management systems are working so well.
There is very little that people can do to help. Even the local SES is frustrated wanting more to do.
People were on the radio begging to be able to volunteer to help or offer to put people up. They were clearly not needed and being send off to Volunteer Queensland.
In the paper this morning was the profound story of the little boy in Toowoomba who was trapped on the car roof with his mother and younger brother. He tossed his younger brother to rescuers and begged them to rescue his mum and he and his mother were swept away to die.
We just seem to have this huge human need to help others in times of disaster. The main way most of us can help in the most practical way is to donate to disaster relief appeals.
Still it is an interesting phenomenon and our need to be useful is obvious. There appears to be too big a gulf between our all-managing nanny State and our own meagre ‘sit-in-front-of-the-tv-and-donate’ role.