'Queensland is going to need a lot of help later'

TO HELP put the scale of this disaster into perspective, Brisbane has a population of two million people and has an area that is 35 times the size of Glasgow. It is technically the world's biggest city, in terms of the massive area it covers.

Queensland is going to need a lot of help when the flood levels drop so anything that can make others aware of the situation here is vital.

I live in the Ferny Hills area, morth-west of Brisbane's central business district. I'm married with a 12-year-old daughter and another baby girl due to arrive any week now - but hopefully not within the next few days, considering the current climate.

My story is one of the lucky ones, having been fortunate to watch most of the crisis unfold over TV - and my home is set on a hill and a good distance from the river and creeks.

The situation in Toowomba is tragic, a town where my wife's family first settled after leaving Scotland several generations ago. They were prominent timber merchants in the region during early settlement, boasting a former mayor of Toowomba in their ancestory.

News that the floodwater of Toowomba was arriving was quickly on everyone's lips as I arrived at my workplace yesterday, but worse news was that the dam levels at Wivenhoe were nearing capacity, meaning a controlled release was required.

At 2pm our office was evacuated along with most businesses. Arriving home on any other day would normally be met with a cold beer and the sports channel. But knowing many of my collegues and friends were going home to prepare their homes for the imminent arrival of floodwater, I felt impotent.

I'm an office worker, I push pens around a desk for a living, what could I possibly do to help without just getting in the way of the emergency services?

At 8pm I saw an update from Queensland Police Services calling for volunteers to help fill sandbags.

We arrived at the first sandbag depot to a mass of people who had responded to the call. One thing that hit home with me was one wee lady whose car boot I was filling with sandbags. This lady was probably the same age as my mum back in Scotland. I can't help wonder if one of those sandbags I loaded into her car will be the one that keeps the flood from her doorstep.

• Donald Farquhar, 32, is a finance worker originally from Vale of Leven who now lives and works in Brisbane.