In the Aftermath of Outback Floods

The floods at Glendambo in South Australia have receded since last year’s deluge. In their aftermath, we face new challenges. The iciness of winter bears with it a virus, and the flu, as people hunker down to get through the worse. However, we know that even the floods didn't last forever; we remember this.

Australia is still heaving under the weight of the pandemic. It feels like at the end of 2019 a switch was flicked, and the world went mad. Successive waves of COVID seem to keep coming, and the only certain thing is uncertainty itself. It has challenged the capacity of the healthcare system, people’s mental and physical well-being, and in some cases, stolen lives. 

Water at Glendambo, South Australia, one year after floods (Photo credit: Lea Pearson)

But the floodwaters at Glendambo have somewhat drained away. At their peak, they cut off roads and train lines, isolating parts of the Northern Territory and disrupting supply chains. The price of meat and groceries in Alice Springs skyrocketed. There is still a small amount of water at Glendambo. But just like the virus, these last remnants of the floods will not last forever. There will be a day after COVID. At the moment, we live through history, each messy day another step on the ladder of time. We sustain our losses, but ultimately, we keep going.

But for how much longer? How much longer can this cloud hover over us? And yet, beneath its horrible burden, there are still flashes of light and the eternal hope of humanity, that things can, will, must get better. This is cold comfort in the grip of illness, but each footstep placed in front of another carries us forward. And eventually, the journey on this road is conquered.