news, latest-news

Gary Carter was in bed watching televangelist Jimmy Swaggart on the computer when his nephew, sitting nearby, saw the water rising. "He said, 'Gaz, the flat's getting flooded'," Mr Carter said. "I thought the toilet was overflowing, cos it's done it before. "But this time it was, it just came through the flat. It was up to my hips wasn't it?" Mr Carter, who lives on the ground floor at Goliath Court in O'Connor, says the water came in quick and suddenly following the deluge over Canberra on Sunday. As the water rose, Mr Carter said he became worried about the electricity in the apartment. He said he had nowhere to go. The interior courtyard of the apartment block was also flooded, and entry to Mr Carter's apartment was through ankle deep water. The floodwater had soaked the carpet in his apartment, causing it to swell and bubble, while dirt and debris on the walls marked the height of the floodwaters in their peak. But the pair were in good spirits. Mr Carter's nephew Jason Francis joked, "We were in a bit of a trance watching Jimmy Swaggart, and I said, 'Why is the dog paddlin'? Why is the dog paddlin' mate?'" before confirming they did not have a dog. Mr Carter had lived in the apartment for 18 years but had never seen it flood. The unit block's car park was also flooded. SES tape barred more cars from entry, and the seven or so cars already parked there had water past their tyres. Even as shoeless residents and emergency authorities supervised the scene, a green skip bin floated into one car and set its alarm off. Pema Namgay lives on the third floor of the Goliath apartments, and could do nothing but watch as the water crept up on his silver hatchback, parked in the car park. "I can't do anything," he said. Mr Namgay said he called the State Emergency Service but had difficulty getting through because of how busy the line was. By late afternoon, the flood waters in the car park had receded, allowing Mr Namgay and his friend to start mopping up the car and surveying the damage. The inside of the car was saturated and Mr Namgay was unsure if the car still worked. A mechanic had advised not turning the ignition and letting the vehicle dry out. He said while his third floor apartment was unscathed, he had friends on the ground floor whose belongings were ruined. He said two residents, who had only just arrived in Canberra, had been crying after finding their apartment flooded. Mr Namgay said authorities had asked the residents to leave the flats earlier in the day but had since been allowed them back inside.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/e80f2843-78ca-4c71-8de4-f5d7a6200731/r0_128_1999_1257_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg