scottishcelts

The Framac's all safe and well

I spoke to them last night and today - still no power in Mackay and flood waters came close - but they are ok

moneypenny20

Climate change? Hasn't the top half of QLD always been hit by cyclones? Isn't it what tends to happen in the tropics?

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Of course... but if the the climate is warming then those cyclones will get larger, stronger and more frequent as the years pass.

I would be surprised if the economy of North QLD could handle being hit by Cat 5's on a regular basis.

moneypenny20

Probably not but then I don't go with the climate change milarky anyway. Even this one ended up as a 2 or 3 on hitting land. Haven't had a 5 since Tracy in 1974. That's a fair old time period.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

I'm not convinced that climate change is man made either, but I'm reasonable convinced that the climate, globally, is warming. For the Tropics that's bad news as it will mean larger and more frequent storms.

As you said, this one was only a 3 when it hit land... but its still left 60,000 homes without power and widespread flooding. They may be used to that up there, but handling it on a more regular basis and with potentially larger storms on a regular basis as well, will surely become a big problem.

Pollyana

Thanks for that! Great news. The power companies did say they wouldn't even look at fixing stuff till it was safe to to go out, same as the SES, but at least they are OK

Its always been a part of life up there - especially the Far North. I used to find their attitude strange but now I can see why they are so laid back about it, they've always had the cyclone threat and in many communities they are also used to being flooded repeatedly, and to being cut off for weeks by floods. They make allowances t deal with it goo - look at whole communities with houses on stumps so the water an flow underneath.

I don't think it'll stop people living up there, but I do think some things need to change to make it less of an issue - power lines going underground instead of over, for example. also every cyclone that hits brings a lot of learning for all the agencies involved in response and recovery. Having worked through the Larry/Monica systems in 2006 I can see a lot of differences (for the better) in the preparations this time, including a lot of contingency plans that didn't have to be used, but it shows how much has been learnt, studied, revised and now tested.
One big learning curve really, the cyclones may well get more infrequent but more powerful, and that just means that our methods of dealing with them need to change.

Pollyana

Phew, you got away with it Glad it missed you, bet the wind sounded a bit nasty though

jimtrish

We certainly love living up here..but complacency is the one thing that I think will catch the locals out one day....We know we live in areas that the cyclones may come to, but we also know we have to be prepared and unfortunetly you still hear heaps of people saying 'it won't hit us'...
I think the alert systems have worked really well and certainly there was evidence of the emergency services being more prepared this time around.
I am just thankful that no-one was hurt and as you say Pol, we learn something new each time

Pollyana

I'll pass the comments on (and I know there are now several people at work now aware of BE and my postings on here!) - glad you could see some evidence of learnings from previous events!
Good that you guys came through OK

Bix

We hear a lot about them there cyclone things but they never affect us.

Pollyana

so says the writer of one of the best BE threads, ever after surviving Larry!

scottishcelts

That's because you're king of the jungle




















and yer lion jokes are brilliant, but we won't talk about that

BigH68

it sure did....and the fact that before the cyclone was anywhere near we had a friggin power out..........hardly a bloody puff off wind...6.30pm black out 11.30pm may be back on...bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!

So glad the guys up north were safe

jimtrish

We just suffer when Jim gets wind!

Kooky.

Well I'm in Sydney and most of last evening thought the patio doors were going to blow in, so I dread to think how you folks up north had it.