NWR: Brisbane Floods

[Michael McNally]

Hi Brisbane Forumites

Just wondering how others are likely to fare. Records suggest that if the 1974 flood level is broken that the first thing my new cellar will be full of, is floodwater. Likely to go under around 5.00am tomorrow..........

My builder says that his work is insured. Hope he is right.

How is everyone else? Rens, what about Forest Lake. How's the lake? I am assuming the folks near the coast are okay. How is the hinterland Gerry?

Luckily my wine is elsewhere.

Cheers

Michael

[rens]

Hi Michael
Forest Lake is fine. There will be no major flooding here. My wine Is at Milton. I've had a look and I think it may go under Thursday when the big one hits so I'm heading off tonight when kellee gets home from work in an hour or so and getting the expensive stuff (Grange etc) out. The rest can go under but just in case the insurance is not covering 'flood' I'm taking the expensive stuff out and putting it in the fridge at home. I'm not sure if I'll drink my grange or onsell in later years so I'd prefer them to be pristine and not water damaged labels etc.
Insurance companies are notorious for not paying out when it floods.
Fingers crossed your house stays above water Michael. Let us know how you get on.
Rens

[rens]

Well I just went down and came back empty handed. F$%K! The street where the storage place is has a meter of water over it... and it is low tide! By my calculations about another 2-3 meters and the whole cellar area will be under water.
Anyone want some grange? It's going cheap!

[daz]

Rens, so long as the storage facility doesn't get washed away, your wines should be ok to drink. The seals are meant to keep air/water/whatever out of the bottles as much as to keep the contents in them. Hopefully, if the warehouse does flood, at least enough of the label/s will remain sufficiently intact for you to be able to identify them. On the up side, you may not be able to sell them but you will be left with some very good wine with no option but to drink it.

This is an unprecedented phenomenon, the lives that have so far been lost were far more important than a few dozen bottles of wine.

I hope all Brisbane forumites are safe.

daz

[rens]

Rens, so long as the storage facility doesn't get washed away, your wines should be ok to drink. The seals are meant to keep air/water/whatever out of the bottles as much as to keep the contents in them. Hopefully, if the warehouse does flood, at least enough of the label/s will remain sufficiently intact for you to be able to identify them. On the up side, you may not be able to sell them but you will be left with some very good wine with no option but to drink it.

This is an unprecedented phenomenon, the lives that have so far been lost were far more important than a few dozen bottles of wine.

I hope all Brisbane forumites are safe.

daz

Yes Daz the lives lost pale into insignificance next to a couple of cases of Grange. I have a four year old boy just like the family who lost theirs today. I'd trade 100 cases of grange not to be in their place at this point in time.
I've just had a look at the insurance policy-as you do when there is water running through your cellar. Guess what event is not covered?

[daz]

Insurance companies are notorious for their avoidance of liability for coverage of flood damage, a well known fact. Hope you and family stay safe over the next few days at least. Another factor to consider is the loss of electricity.......?

[tim1210]

hey rens,

in the same situation myself. i was going to go in tomorrow morning and try and pull a few bottles for a party on friday... you think i will have any luck? could you actually get into the facility (ie on foot)?
hmmmmm... as great a story as it would be to pull out flooded bottles at dinners in years to come, i'd probably prefer to avoid it :S will being flooded have any impact on their cellaring life etc? thanks.
tim

[Mahmoud Ali]

My sympathies to all who have lost family and friends as well as those suffering in so many other ways. I've been watching a few video reports on Al Jazeera English over the web. One was a particularly dramatic one of cars being washed away.

Still, I feel bad for anyone who has to see the effort of years of wine collecting go under water. In my experience many of the older bottles had glue-on labels that could be soaked off which, while that was good for those who wanted to collect labels, isn't reassuring for those whose wines go under water. The newer wines have sticker-like labels that are virtually irremovable, even when soaked for hours in hot water. Trust me, I've tried.

Another consideration is that many older bottles of fine wine had the name and vintage printed on the cork, something that just might come in handy.

Good luck.......................Mahmoud.

[daz]

So long as the seals are as anaerobic as they should be, label damage and sustained high temperature should be your major concerns.

[rens]

Hi Tim
No. Milton road was cut off and I went in through the back way via Given Tce and down past Suncorp. I could not even get to the door. The water was almost to the top of the ramp/base of the entry door. So tomorrow it will be half way up the door.
The water will not effect the wine in the bottle. It may make a few labels come off so you'll probably have a lucky dip on your hands when going through them.
Good point Daz. The electricity is being cut off to the CBD at 7am. Although the day time temperatures are not that bad (25 max) at the moment. Perhaps insurance may pay out on the electricity being cut off.

[Michael McNally]

Luckily my wine is elsewhere.

Okay, scratch that, I should have remembered that Milton floods. At least if the power goes out the wine should stay at a reasonable temperature.

I will be happy if we get through this safely. Anything else (no inundation/wine stays safe) is a bonus.

Drinking (a glass only!) of nice Grenache tonight so things aren't too bad....

Cheers

Michael

[chillwrx]

All the best Michael and Tim (and anyone else likely to be effected. - Having saw seen West end yesterday morning before the big rises I can believe what Milton Road was like.

[gpk]

Hi Brisbane Forumites

Just wondering how others are likely to fare. Records suggest that if the 1974 flood level is broken that the first thing my new cellar will be full of, is floodwater. Likely to go under around 5.00am tomorrow..........

My builder says that his work is insured. Hope he is right.

How is everyone else? Rens, what about Forest Lake. How's the lake? I am assuming the folks near the coast are okay. How is the hinterland Gerry?

Luckily my wine is elsewhere.

Cheers

Michael

Guy’s, sorry to hear about your cellars, but hopefully the damage will be minimal. What a shocking time for a lot of folks in Brissy and Qld state, so much of this was unexpected where people did not have a chance. We have family up in Lockyer valley but fortunately they have come out ok, except for a bit of flooding in the lower part of their house. The hinterland where we live is doing ok, lots of rain, 400 mm plus over 48 hrs or so. Lots of slippage’s local creek floods with orads being cut for a short time, but all in all everything is ok. The cellar at the house is safe, some seepage of water across the floor which has never occurred, but everything is just soaked. We are very lucky compared to many. cheers Gerry

[Luke W]

Guys

My thoughts are with you all. I hope your losses are minimal and your claims are honored.

Rens, please take that scuba gear off...

Best of luck

Luke

[ticklenow1]

I'll second others comments about hoping everybody stays safe. At the end of the day it is a freak occurence and the main thing is that everyone's family and friends are safe and healthy. Property can be replaced (no matter how valuable it is) but lives can't be. Whilist I cannot imagine what it is like to lose ones possesions, Let's be grateful that we are all safe and my heart goes out to all those in Toowoomba and the Lockyear valley who have lost loved ones.

Ian

[Moredsir]

For those lucky to not be suffering the QLD floods and wanting to help, you can donate here: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/

Remembering, as mentioned, that most insurance will not cover flood damage.

[Wizz]

We're up high enough not to be affected (in the higher part of Sherwood), but we've been for a rubberneck and the water levels are frightening - with another metre coming tomorrow. We are basically islanded - no dry roads take us anywhere - but still have power for now, where many around us don't.

Prayers for those affected,

[daz]

Got an email from friends living at Wanora on the side of a ridge in from the Fernvale to Ipswich road so their property is high and dry but lots of runoff - wonder what the pool below the house is looking like. They had about 480ml of rain in 18 hours. Fernvale is flooded but that's not surprising as it's in a fairly flat, lowish area, the Wivanhoe Dam not too far away. No electricity, reticulated water supply down to almost none but they have 4x10,000 litre water tanks under the house connected to the plumbing by an electric pump so the mate's trying to work out how to safely access the stored water. He remembered they have a 12-to-24 volt inverter he used some years ago for web access when they hired a yacht to cruise the Whitsundays, rigged it up to a couple of car batteries so they could power their laptops and mobile phones. They're not winos but he likes his scotch, she likes her G&T, so the lack of ice is an inconvenience, apparently. They have gas so cooking the food from the freezer isn't a problem but in mentioning that she was reminded of the mango sorbet in the freezer that needed to be rescued(?). There was a bit of tongue-in-cheek pluckiness in the concise email.

Of course they're safe, but isolated until the water subsides and hopefully have enough food (and booze) for the duration. There are many others in southern Qld in really dire circumstances. Here in Townsville, my local Woolies meat shelves are almost bare, the fruit and veg supplies seem to be reasonable though the veg lines are rather depleted.

This is an extraordinary event that has yet to fully play out with some of the floodwater to flow south and apparently rain events too.

In sadness for lives lost and concern for those still missing,

daz

[calm]

Inspected my Sth Brisbane ground floor investment apartment this morning. Water level stopped at the peak 5 cm below the door step. Basement carpark taking water though, not sure body corp will be flood insured for electricals etc. Unbelievably lucky. My thoughts with those less fortunate. Saw the area around Suncorp stadium on TV this morning, including Kennards (with all that wine). Lived in Brisbane all my life and still struggle to get my head around the areas which went under so considerably including the stadium area, Milton etc.

[rens]

Yes the pictures are incredible. I saw the Kennards pictures too. It looks like the whole wine storage went under. Hopefully we will be able to get in there after the weekend and salvage what is left. Anyone know of alternative climate controlled facilities in the Brisbane area? I think it will take considerable time before the milton facility is back up and running.

[Wizz]

Yes the pictures are incredible. I saw the Kennards pictures too. It looks like the whole wine storage went under. Hopefully we will be able to get in there after the weekend and salvage what is left. Anyone know of alternative climate controlled facilities in the Brisbane area? I think it will take considerable time before the milton facility is back up and running.

http://www.wineaway.com.au in Bowen Hills.

Theres another wine storage in Bowen Hills too, I thought i t was another Kennards but cant be sure - on Montpelier Road i think,

cheers

Andrew

[steady]

Glad to hear everyone is safe. We escaped the worst of the rain on the Gold Coast but watching events unfold has been horrendous.

If anyone needs a hand cleaning up give me a shout. I'm quite handy with a shovel!

Take care of yourselves, Ed

[rens]

Thanks Wizz. Much appreciated.

[ticklenow1]

Glad to hear everyone is safe. We escaped the worst of the rain on the Gold Coast but watching events unfold has been horrendous.

If anyone needs a hand cleaning up give me a shout. I'm quite handy with a shovel!

Take care of yourselves, Ed

I'm with steady, If anyone needs a hand to clean up, or get their house liveable again, I have 5 days off work starting on Sunday. Please don't hesitate to call as I think we all need to band together in this time of need. I also have extensive building industry experience as well.

[rens]

Just got an email from Kennards and amongst other things they say:
'At this stage we are unable to gain access to Fortitude Valley and Milton due to road closures. We believe there is a risk the ground floor units may have obtained water damage'.
They go on to say:
'What happens now for Fortitude Valley and Milton?
1. For Fortitude Valley and Milton we will not be able to offer access for a short while
2. If we find water on the property we will arrange for commercial cleaners to remove the water from the property.
3. When we have made the property safe we will contact you again via email and let you know when you are able to gain access.
4. Selective and delicate clean up of storage units and the building will take place.
5. Access will be given to those who are in the effected areas in the first instance.'

So their communication has been good. Their telephone line has had a message with updates for customers too. So now we just wait to hear when we can inspect. I hope it is not to long. The less time my wine spends in the Brisbane summer heat the better.
I've also made a contingency plan with National storage in the valley to rent some space because I think it will take sometime for Kennards to have the climate control up and running again. They were so happy to hear from me they are matching Kennard's rates and giving me as many free new wine boxes as I need to get it from Kennards to the new location. Oh and National did not flood!
That's how my little problem is going.
Grandma's house at Jindalee went under so I wounder how poor old Michael is in Chelmer. I think there will be a lot of cleaning up going on.

[Wizz]

Where in Chelmer? I'm fairly close to there and have taken a look this morning. Prognosis for Chelmer not good, even without breaking 1974 levels...

[debbris]

Hi there,

I'm another with wine in storage at Kennards, Milton, but unlike rens have received no emails (I know they have our contact details as we've received other emails from them). Would appreciate it if you could update the thread if you learn more about when we are likely to be able to get access, I rang up yesterday but they had less info than was in the email published here.

I know I should be grateful that we only lost wine, but it's still depressing...ours is not racked so I worry most about what will happen if the boxes get soaked and disintegrate, they are stacked on top of each other so it could be a right mess. Also regretting moving the wine from one of the very hard to access top lockers to a bigger ground locker, oh well, live and learn I guess. National Storage swear their private vaults are waterproof so they are looking very attractive now!

Deb

[rens]

Hi there,

I'm another with wine in storage at Kennards, Milton, but unlike rens have received no emails (I know they have our contact details as we've received other emails from them). Would appreciate it if you could update the thread if you learn more about when we are likely to be able to get access, I rang up yesterday but they had less info than was in the email published here.

I know I should be grateful that we only lost wine, but it's still depressing...ours is not racked so I worry most about what will happen if the boxes get soaked and disintegrate, they are stacked on top of each other so it could be a right mess. Also regretting moving the wine from one of the very hard to access top lockers to a bigger ground locker, oh well, live and learn I guess. National Storage swear their private vaults are waterproof so they are looking very attractive now!

Deb

Hi Deb
I'm happy to keep it update.
I have one of the hard to reach lockers up top but doubt that saved anything. I also have mine in boxes so I'm expecting an avalanche of bin 389 when I get there.
Rens

[debbris]

Update today from the Kennard's website:

UPDATE AS AT FRIDAY 14 JANUARY 5:45PM AEST
As a result of the current flooding conditions in Brisbane, Kennards Self Storage have closed the following sites:

Fortitude Valley and Milton are closed. Some flood penetration has been reported on the ground floor at these sites. Customers who are effected will be contacted as soon as our teams can assess the sites. We anticipate this will occur on Saturday 15 January. At this stage these centres are closed.

Hopefully the bin 389 will still be in its rightful place, Rens, can't say I expect the same from my Basket Press Shiraz (sob).

[Mahmoud Ali]

Reading about the possible wine losses is heart wrenching. Especially the worry about boxes disintegrating and possibility of breakages. I had only been thinking about label damage.

And then the bit about the heat. What is the current daytime high in Brisbane?

Mahmoud.