Brisbane floods 2022: Courage Under Water episode 2

A year on from the devastating Brisbane 2022 floods, victims recount the moment they knew they were in trouble. WATCH COURAGE UNDER WATER EP 2

It took four tinnies, a jet ski and a one hell of a co-ordinator to evacuate the Brisbane suburb of Windsor after it went almost completely underwater last February.

The disastrous 2022 flood event was like none other experienced by residents, who had prepared their flood-prone homes while believing water levels would only reach heights similar to those of the 2011 flood.

But on the evening of Sunday, February 27, Lisa Donaldson came to the stark realisation that this flood would be very different.

“Boats were here until or 2am pulling people out. They reckoned they pulled 40 to 60 people out each,” she recalled a year on from the event.

“It was pretty sad actually. People screaming for help that couldn’t swim. It was like armageddon.”

The Donaldsons have lived on Albany St since 1983 and their old-school besser block Queenslander had withstood many floods before.

That’s why it came as a real shock when floodwaters had suddenly reached the top level of their home - in the middle of the night.

“When the tide turned and started going out the water didn’t go down. It was still coming up and that’s when essentially we realised, OK, this is really bad. We had no way out,” Ms Donaldson said.

“I started calling the police, the SES. We were told it was a 72-hour wait for help.

“That’s when I took to social media … and got absolutely inundated with offers a help which was amazing.

Lisa Donaldson and her parents Ross and Jenny Donaldson, outside their home that flooded in 2022. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“I essentially turned into project manager mode, trying to negotiate who’s coming where they’re going.”

Liaising with all emergency services, Ms Donaldson was able to help evacuate her suburb with nothing but a portable power pack and her mobile phone.

Rescued residents climbed aboard tinnies, ducked and wove below powerlines and floated past car roofs to get to safety.

“The boat drove over fences to go to people’s doors because they couldn’t swim,” Ms Donaldson said.

“Going through that darkness … it was eerie.”

Six days later water levels had subsided and the Donaldson’s returned to their home now caked in mud and mould.

The Windsor community rallied in recovery, with residents lapping the street offering free barbecue food, water, and hugs.

But it was bittersweet as everyone began the traumatic process of moving all of their cherished possessions out onto the street.

Eleven months and $350,000 worth of damage later, the Donaldson home was repaired.

But Ms Donaldson says it was a hard lesson learned for all.

“It‘s a learning point for a lot of people to make sure that they do have bug out plans in place … also a point for the government and news media outlets to make sure that they’re reporting accurately, rather than standing two streets away filming kids playing in the floodwaters.

“It will happen again.”