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Cyclone Larry

I can't believe how unscathed Queensland is. Apart from the obviously unavoidable power outages and infrastructure damage, everyone seems okay. :cool:
 
Boy they're lucky it missed Cairns and Townsville.

Category 5 when it crossed land near Innisfail. Gusting winds up to 290-300km/h (180 - 190 mph). Very small eye so packing a real wallop.

ABC news is reporting widespread building damage, kilometres of powerlines are down, highways are blocked, there were images of huge trees not only uprooted but carried a long way from where they used to be - big bastard trees too. Looks like about 50,000 people are without power, will take a few days to get it back on.

Search and Rescue are already there, the PM has declared a state of emergency, SES is already there and the clean up is progressing well although it's a huge task. The airport is a priority so they can fly in supplies and stuff to set up a tent city until permanent arrangements can be made.

Innisfail is about 100km south of Cairns and has a population of 18,000. 8,000 of those living in the town itself.

It's destroyed the local banana and other fruit growing industry and is expected to cost around A$200 million in the final wash up. The next TC warning is likely to go out on Thursday fro TC Wattie which is looking very nasty although still a fair way away - it's Cat 3 already and has a long way to go over lots of warm water before it nears any land.
 
how are all you aussie-land natives?

This was worse than Katrina. Wow. I also saw on Fox News earlier that a major hurricane may hit the NE this year:eek:

Also, a little side question, when i was small and lived down there, i went to a hotel near a place called hamilton island. does anyone know if it was in the path, and if it was, how the surrounding area held up. I went to that place several times and can still remember it (vaguely). Just hope it wasn't destroyed.

I hope all of you MR members down under are all right and didn't have any damage and lose anything.
 
I saw coverage about it on Sunrise yesterday. My parents know ppl in Innisfail, and my cousin lives in Townsville (it was her birthday yesterday too), but I don't know how any of them are. My mum said something about the Burdett River will probably burst its banks as a result and end up 30m higher than it is which will flood a huge area around Innisfail. Not good at all.
 
Not good at all... I was watching it on SKY News yesterday it looked terrible.

Are they setting up a charity to aid those that lost their houses / businesses?

I saw the large plantations of Sugar & Banannas are completely destroyed.
 
garybUK said:
Not good at all... I was watching it on SKY News yesterday it looked terrible.

Are they setting up a charity to aid those that lost their houses / businesses?

I saw the large plantations of Sugar & Banannas are completely destroyed.
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Charity is already set up but the state and federal governments have pretty good disaster funds and plans set up.

Total cost so far is expected to be half a billion dollars. Very nasty but from what I've seen so far it's being handled very well. We have some very good volunteers in the SES and the military are well trained in disaster relief so the initial clean up won't take too long. It's the long term recovery that is going to take some time. This year was going to be one of the best sugar cane harvests in the last ten years after 8 very ordinary years and that's all gone now. As are the bananas, paw-paws, lychees, rambutans, a hell of a lot of the tropical fruit we all enjoy during the year.
 
Chundles said:
Charity is already set up but the state and federal governments have pretty good disaster funds and plans set up.

Total cost so far is expected to be half a billion dollars. ~snip~
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Just seen it all on the BBC - and sympathies to all. I'll so go along with garybUK's implied suggestion of donating to any charity that exists - maybe you can post details? I'll gladly contribute. Bummer about the crops.

I do feel a bit guilty about this. Never been sure about the Butterfly Effect in chaos theory. But I was shaking out my duvet cover in the garden a few days ago, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, and now -------
 
UKnjb said:
Just seen it all on the BBC - and sympathies to all. I'll so go along with garybUK's implied suggestion of donating to any charity that exists - maybe you can post details? I'll gladly contribute. Bummer about the crops.

I do feel a bit guilty about this. Never been sure about the Butterfly Effect in chaos theory. But I was shaking out my duvet cover in the garden a few days ago, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, and now -------
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Yeah, it's a bugger. I'm glad I live a couple of thousand kilometres below the usual TC path. Can't find the details about the charity, they're probably keeping a bit quiet at the moment to let the military go in and restore some basic services - lots of people without power and water and well, houses so once that happens and the media can get back in we'll start seeing the full extent. The report from the news is that the emergency services are putting their tsunami knowledge (we were one of the first on the scene in asia when it happened cause we were the closest country with the gear to help) in fixing what's happening up there.

Gonna be a long time coming back from this though for those poor people up there, it was worse than Cyclone Tracy that came in and literally flattened Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. That was only a Cat 4 and it completely leveled the town. A 300kmh Cat 5 would be inconceivable if it hit a major city like Cairns or Townsville.

So far though, the reports of deaths are few if not zero and there are few casualties.
 
With all the news on TV just yesterday about the extreme weather conditions causing so much damage in Australia, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the mud slides in the Middle East and South America last year, along with the dire predictions made by such films as "The Day After Tomorrow" and the prophets of global warming, we shouldn't forget that England has its share of devastating weather too.

I've attached a photo illustrating the damage caused to a friend's home from a storm that passed through Southern England a few days ago. It really makes you realise what others suffer and to cherish what you have, that we are all global brothers and sisters in adversity and reminds us not to take things for granted.

God bless us all.

damage2.JPG
 
UKnjb said:
With all the news on TV just yesterday about the extreme weather conditions causing so much damage in Australia, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the mud slides in the Middle East and South America last year, along with the dire predictions made by such films as "The Day After Tomorrow" and the prophets of global warming, we shouldn't forget that England has its share of devastating weather too.

I've attached a photo illustrating the damage caused to a friend's home from a storm that passed through Southern England a few days ago. It really makes you realise what others suffer and to cherish what you have, that we are all global brothers and sisters in adversity and reminds us not to take things for granted.

God bless us all.

View attachment 43551
Click to expand...

ROFL! I printed that one out for whenever I need a pick-me-up!
 
UKnjb said:
With all the news on TV just yesterday about the extreme weather conditions causing so much damage in Australia, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the mud slides in the Middle East and South America last year, along with the dire predictions made by such films as "The Day After Tomorrow" and the prophets of global warming, we shouldn't forget that England has its share of devastating weather too.

I've attached a photo illustrating the damage caused to a friend's home from a storm that passed through Southern England a few days ago. It really makes you realise what others suffer and to cherish what you have, that we are all global brothers and sisters in adversity and reminds us not to take things for granted.

God bless us all.

View attachment 43551
Click to expand...

Oh man....:( that poor chair. Imagine the clean up, you're so gonna need 2 towels.
 
That was one nasty cyclone. I just can't imagine anything like that happening. I hope everyone is able to get things cleaned up quickly and back on their feet!
 
max_altitude said:
That was one nasty cyclone. I just can't imagine anything like that happening. I hope everyone is able to get things cleaned up quickly and back on their feet!
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Thanks! The whole country is in shock, but we are putting our best stiff lips on show and trying not to make a big deal of it. Needless to say, all of our transport systems are down, people are hiding behind their sofas and panic-buying is being reported. But we'll get by... maybe. Think of us, though, in our (yet another) hour of desperation. This is being posted with failing electric power and looting going on in the streets. Oh oh! Life can be soooo difficult. Got to go now - Bye! *glug glug glug*
 
skoker said:
ROFL! I printed that one out for whenever I need a pick-me-up!
Click to expand...

Hello! Um - er - struggling here with the meaning of ROFL? Is it an insult or something? WTF, IMHO, FWIW, help please?
 
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