‘I thought I was gonna lose my life’: Mum details Qld floodwater escape
A Queensland mum has revealed how she thought about writing goodbye messages to her children after she became trapped in floodwaters on the Bruce Hwy.
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A Queensland mum has spoken about fearing for her life after becoming stranded in floodwaters on the Bruce Highway near Bowen.
Melissa Young was travelling south from Cairns when she and 20 other motorists became trapped on the highway, as potentially crocodile-infested floodwaters threatened to sweep them away.
“I am absolutely wrecked… I knew there was rain coming and there may be a chance that I’d have to pull over and stop for a while, but not this,” she told the Today show on Tuesday.
Ms Young said police told her a “road closed” sign was placed on the road the day before but had been moved.
“I was travelling and part of the convoy, so when everyone left Merinda just following one car after another, and I‘m guessing that when the first one went through that sign was gone,” she said.
“It was pushed to the side of the road so it looked like the road was open.”
Ms Young, who is from Christchurch in New Zealand, said earthquakes ‘have nothing on this’.
“I thought I was gonna lose my life, I was waiting… we travelled through on a big dump truck and it was only then we found out there were a few crocs out there as well,” she said, speaking from an emergency refuge in Proserpine.
“It’s absolutely next level. I wasn‘t far off writing goodbye messages to my children.”
“I‘ve been staying outside… I don’t know how to take it I’ve not experienced anything like this before.”
“I just want to go home. There‘s my dogs - there’s no food for them yet. Yeah, and what we’re gonna do next as far as getting them sorted and getting me sorted and getting the other people sorted - no one knows.”
Originally published as ‘I thought I was gonna lose my life’: Mum details Qld floodwater escape
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