Praying for Queensland Flood Victims

INCOMPREHENSIBLE DISASTER OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS

A call to the nation to pray.

Please feel free to pass this email on to others in your network of family and friends whom you believe would like to have the opportunity to join with us in prayer for our nation and its people at this time of crisis.

The above description given to the flood crisis in Queensland by sections of the media can be easily understand by anyone seeing the pictures of the floods and inland tsunami that has hit South East Queensland over the past few days. This is not in any way to ignore the pain and impact that has been felt by countless thousands more across other parts of the State by the widespread floods experienced in recent weeks.

It is impossible to keep up with the unfolding drama and attempts to provide some information as we have done further down in this bulletin is likely to be out of date by the time you read it.

Many have asked what can we do as a Prayer Network to stand in support of our brothers and sisters facing this unprecedented crisis.  With the reach of our network, through the several thousand Churches,  Prayer Groups and individuals who subscribe to receive our newsletters, now estimated at 100,000, the mobilisation of such a "spiritual army" could be of great significance in the continuing battle. 

We are therefore inviting those in our network, and any others who may receive this email through a secondary source, to respond by drawing together to cry out to God for those affected by this catastrophic event. 

We suggest this be done by firstly asking Churches to provide opportunity for their people to come together as a congregation on one of the next 3 nights, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday nights, thus giving their people the opportunity to contribute through prayer to the resolution of this crisis.

Secondly, for prayer groups to hold special meetings over the next three days, over and above their normal gatherings and to even throw open their meetings to others to join with them to pray for the crisis.

Thirdly to invite individuals to pray with us morning, noon and night until the crisis is over and past.  We are suggesting the times of 7.00AM, Noon and 7.00PM would be appropriate times whilst understanding that some will need the flexibility to pray at other times due to work and other commitments.  

In inviting prayer for the Queensland disaster let us not forget that the floods are now spreading to northern NSW, and that others are also suffering in Western Australia due to floods, and also bushfires.

Your best source of prayer points will come from simply watching or listening to the widely available reports being carried by the media and allowing the Holy Spirit to quicken the needs to you as you seek Him on behalf of the situation.

I thank you for your willingness to do whatever you can to cover this tragic situation in prayer thus  providing an avenue for God's grace and mercy to flow into and through the situation to those caught up in it either as victims, relatives and friends of victims and/or emergency service personnel.

Brian Pickering
National Coordinator
Australian Prayer Network

HUGE QUEENSLAND FLOODS DIRECTLY AFFECT UP TO 200,000

Military aircraft have dropped supplies to towns cut off by floods in Queensland with the Prime Minister Julia Gillard promising assistance to the 200,000 people affected by waters covering an area larger than France and Germany combined. Residents have stockpiled food or evacuated their homes as rivers inundate some 22 towns. The Prime Minister has toured evacuation centres in flooded areas announcing that families whose homes had been flooded or damaged would be eligible for disaster relief payments.

"My concern is for the people in these very difficult times," Gillard said. She also pledged $1 million in federal aid to match a relief fund already set up by the state government. Bundaberg resident Sandy Kiddle told Gillard she lost cherished items after floodwaters surged through her house. She said may not be able to return home for a week. "It was just a sea of water, and I thought the beach would never come to our house," she told Gillard, who gave her a hug.

Officials say half of Queensland's 715,305 square miles (1,852,642 square kilometres) is affected by the relentless flooding, which began after days of pounding rain caused swollen rivers to overflow. With rain still falling in a number of areas the rivers are still surging to new heights and overflowing into low-lying towns as the water makes its way toward the sea. The muddy water inundating thousands of homes and businesses has led to a shortage of drinking water and raised fears of mosquito-borne disease.

"This is without a doubt a tragedy on an unprecedented scale," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said. Bligh warned that drenched communities could be stuck underwater for more than a week, and cleanup efforts were expected to cost billions of dollars. The Department of Community Safety said supplies of food and bedding were delivered by road and by military aircraft to the towns of Rockhampton, Emerald, Springsure and Blackwater in central-east Queensland.

The entire population of two towns were forced to evacuate as water swamped their communities, cutting off roads and devastating crops. The largest city affected has been Rockhampton, which has had near record flood levels with railway lines cut and the city's airport shut down. "This is a very serious situation," said Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter. Up to 40 percent of the city has been affected. "Police had to order people in affected areas to leave their homes." 

Food supplies in the city have been under pressure with many stores running out of bread, milk and fresh meat, Carter said. Gary Boyer, regional manager of supermarket chain Woolworths, said the company had sent 43 trucks full of supplies into Rockhampton. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes. In the central Queensland town of Emerald, about 1,000 people were evacuated. Emerald also faced food shortages, power outages and sewage-contaminated floodwaters.

STOP PRESS:

In the past 24 hours the crisis has escalated with the most amazing "inland tsunami" hitting Toowoomba and moving down to do indescribable damage to communities in the Lockyer Valley including claiming the lives of 10 people with another 72 missing. Other communities being affected now include, Dalby, Chinchilla, Gatton, and Gympie with Ipswich and many parts of Brisbane expecting record flooding within the next 12 to 48 hours. And it is still raining as this newsletter is being written.

In Toowoomba residents are still in shock at the speed and ferocity of the storm that caused so much damage in their city and beyond. A number of Churches were damaged including Toowoomba City Church (known to many throughout Australia as the home of One Heart and the distributors of the transformation videos) which was hit by the wall of water and had windows smashed and their offices and church auditorium flooded, with almost all of their equipment, computers, furniture and documents irreparably damaged.     

Please pray:

* for those who have lost loved ones during this crisis and for those awaiting news of family and friends still listed as missing

* for those who have been displaced from their homes, and those who have lost crops, stock and possessions as a result of the flooding. Pray also for those who are assisting in the rescue and care of those affected and for those involved in the cleaning up operations.

* that Governments, local authorities and the people of Australia will be generous in the amount and nature of the assistance they provide in what is clearly a most difficult time for those affected. 

* that those affected will not lose hope inspite of the overwhelming destruction they face. Pray for God given energy and ingenuity to be poured out on those affected as they seek to rebuild their lives, their homes and their livelihoods.

Source: Australian Prayer Network