Queensland police officers tell of dramatic, ‘emotional’ rescues during the Townsville floods
Brave Queensland police officers have told of the dramatic moments they battled rising flood waters to evacuate entire streets using whatever vehicles they could, as shivering children clung to “one bag of their most prized handful of toys”.
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QUEENSLAND police officers have told of the moments they battled rising flood waters to evacuate entire streets using whatever vehicles they could to get families to safety.
Sergeant Ryan Thompson told of one occasion where the area of Townsville they entered to rescue a family was already inundated.
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“We were called in to get one family out, two adults and two children and we did so,” Sgt. Thompson said.
But in the time they rescued the family, flood water had already risen about a foot and the water was flowing rapidly.
“Myself and two colleagues made the decision that we would evacuate as many of the residents in that worst affected area that we could,” he said.
“It was quite emotional, the little children probably had one bag of their most prized handful of toys, they were extremely cold.”
Sergeant Thompson said it was a relief to have been able to rescue 39 people from that area.
Constable Anthony Head also told of the shock at seeing so many people piled into the back of Townsville City Council tip trucks, as the only means of travel, being evacuated among the mass-confusion.
“It was surreal, you see all these trucks driving past with 30, 40 people in the back of it, it looked like something you see in an actual disaster zone with all the people loaded up in the back of it,” sergeant Head said.
Constable Jennifer Dare said everyone emergency services were able to help were very appreciative.
“Once we retrieved the people we’d have to sit in the back with them to keep everyone calm, when we actually sat in the back with them it was raining heavily and there were kids in there, animals, everyone was wet and drenched and a little bit frightened,” she said.
She said she had never been through anything similar before and it was comforting to know they were helping people to safety.
“You don’t think twice, you just do what you have to do,” constable Dare said.
Donate now to help people hit by Townsville’s floods crisis
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY
THE SALVATION ARMY
13 SALVOS (13 72 58)
salvos.org.au (select disaster relief)
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND
(07) 3010 1002
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1800 001 953
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