It's the waiting that gets ya - but what happens afterwards?

Hi everyone,

I'd hoped that this week I'd be emailing you about an awesome community event called No Phones, No Phascists that I've been helping organise, but unfortunately we're gonna have to reschedule it because of the approaching cyclone.

In case anyone in the cyclone's path needs some guidance, here's an 8-minute explanation of how to look up and make sense of Brisbane City Council's flood awareness maps.

And if you'd like to keep track of creek and river levels in real-time, you can look up the automatic reports from the Bureau of Meteorology's flood gauges via this website. Clicking the 'Plot' link next to a particular station will take you to a graph of the water levels at that location.

I'm writing this update from my parents' place on the Sunshine Coast, because my partner and I decided not to stay on our houseboat in Brissie until the cyclone has passed.

It felt weird to leave Afterglow all by herself. I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday patching potential leaks, disconnecting solar panels, pulling down the bimini, checking ropes and moving some of our most precious books and artworks off the boat. I guess it's still too early to say how bad the impacts in Brissie will be. Hopefully the ropes hold and the boat is still in one piece this time next weekend.

Today has been especially strange on the Sunshine Coast because the wind and waves have been relatively calm up here. Despite the warnings and the impending disaster just off the coast, people are out strolling with their families and even going for a surf on some of the north-facing beaches. I suppose that's about to change very quickly as the cyclone edges closer.

It's interesting to think about how the shutdown of most workplaces, businesses and recreational activities means families suddenly have a lot more time to spend with each other than they usually do.

It's also jarring to realise that even after this cyclone passes, and large portions of South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales have been battered by one of the worst climate disasters in the region's history, it's entirely possible that very little will change socially and politically. The aftermath of other recent disasters has demonstrated that living through the direct, severe impacts of global warming isn't necessarily enough by itself to prompt people to embrace deeper systemic transformation.

That's what prompted me to write this article a few days ago. For a short period after the cyclone passes, capitalist, individualist social norms will melt away, and most people will act more communally and generously. But then we'll all go back to work, and the dominant system will reassert itself, unless enough of us push for change.

Have a read and let me know what you think of it!

After the disaster

What comes next, after the mud and ash is all washed away?

Jonathan SriranganathanJonathan Sriranganathan

I also recently published an article about Greens parliamentary strategy that feels more important than ever with a tropical cyclone bearing down on our city. If the Greens win balance of power after the coming federal election, the party will have some tough, crucial decisions to make about what kind of orientation to take towards the Labor party, and how best to push for change, particularly in terms of climate action.

If you don’t want the Greens to block Labor bills, how is positive change supposed to happen?

It’s time for Greens supporters to face some hard truths about parliamentary strategy

Jonathan SriranganathanJonathan Sriranganathan

I haven't been writing quite as much in the past few weeks; I've been putting more time into community event organising, as well as helping out with the Greens' federal election campaign. But I did finally get around to finishing this article, musing on the fact that Brisbane City Council – like many councils around the country – spends a lot of money preventing native bunya pine trees from producing seeds.

Why is Brisbane City Council intentionally preventing bunya pines from producing nuts?

What does it say about our culture that we can’t even coexist with one of South-East Queensland’s most iconic trees?

Jonathan SriranganathanJonathan Sriranganathan

Perhaps it's not the most important issue right now, but it's a reflection of our unbalanced relationship with the natural world, which is something we probably ought to turn our minds towards more often.

And for those who are interested in activism resources, I've also published this short guide after participating in a skillshare on hanging large flags and banners from bridges. Feel free to share it with anyone who might find it useful

Banner drop skillshare: How to hang a giant flag off a bridge safely and effectively

Get the basics right so you don’t accidentally drop your precious banner in the river

Jonathan SriranganathanJonathan Sriranganathan

With the cyclone and possible flooding on our doorstep, now might be a good time for residents of Woolloongabba, East Brisbane, Stones Corner and Greenslopes to reread this article I wrote just before Christmas about the fact that council's flood mapping doesn't properly account for global warming.

Buyers/renters beware: Brisbane City Council keeps approving new developments, but Southern Woolloongabba, East Brisbane and Stones Corner will flood more often

Out-dated flood maps don’t account for global warming, and our leaders are in denial about Norman Creek flood risks

Jonathan SriranganathanJonathan Sriranganathan

And this older video about how the 2022 floods impacted highrise neighbourhoods is perhaps also worth revisiting.

As always, I'd appreciate if you can forward this email to anyone else who might be interested in my writing, and let them know that they can subscribe to my newsletters via this link.

Good luck over the next few days everyone! I might send out another email newsletter late next week if I have any useful updates on the cleanup and the cyclone's aftermath.

Warm regards,
Jonno