The water is ankle deep in my garden after receding over night. My little herb garden and flower beds are gone ... I will have to start over. But that is nothing compared to what others have lost.

One good thing has come out of this though, and that is that our water restrictions are surely to be lifted soon. I think all 3 dams that provide water to our city are now overflowing where last week they were only sitting at 36 % capacity. So we can probably say we are no longer in a drought.

I can finally stop catching my shower water in a bucket to flush the toilet.

I am extraordinarily grateful for a warm bed and a fairly sturdy roof over my head when I realise the extent of what happened.

Today: ...........

It was a beautiful sunny day today and I finally had the courage to go out. The devastation around the city is shocking and will run into millions.

One of the roads that collapsed and disintergrated is one that my family use every single day! So I am grateful (a paradox for sure), that this happened during the night and early hours of the morning.

Today's sun hasn't done much to dry out the carpets but all in time! I have my home and family - and that is all that matters. I have unearthed and donated blankets and woolies, and on Monday I will be sending food to designated areas.

I still feel shocked and scared!