BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhuanet) -- A powerful tropical cyclone packing strong winds struck Australia's northeastern coast early Monday, injuring at least three people.
Roofs were torn off buildings and trees uprooted as Tropical Cyclone Larry slammed into the town of Innisfail, about 100km south of Cairns, bringing winds of up to 290km/h.
The storm posed a "very serious threat to life and property" in the far north of the Queensland state, forcing thousands of people to take shelter or evacuate.
Good Gosh, Father Steverino, don't you have enough people to gnash?
Bless your heart, you good looking devil, you seem to seek roses to find thorns.
While of course it's worrisome, Fr Steve, I don't think there are any Ozzies on this board any more.
And Milo, your comment was totally uncalled for (as is unfortunately the case a little too often). [/thus spake AnnaStrophic]
fwiw, my cousins and aunts and uncles are mostly in Q'land and when we spoke today by phone they said the reporting was exagerated. wot a shock, eh?!
I don't know Australian geography very well and was concerned for the several correspondents on this Board who reside in those parts.
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fwiw, my cousins and aunts and uncles are mostly in Q'land and when we spoke today by phone they said the reporting was exagerated. wot a shock, eh?!
Whereabouts in Qld, mav? Having friends who live in Innisfail, and seeing the footage coming in regularly, I haven't seen much evidenbce of exaggeration. No loss of life, thankfully, but looking at the extent of damage to buildings, that's a fortuitous freak. The economic damage will be the most significant, escepially to the banana and sugar plantations which sustain the local economy in that part of Northern Qld.
Yes, I think they must be significantly further south - I hadn't actually seen the film myself before the phone call, and they were making far lighter of it than it looks to my eyes - a lot of houses without roofs at the least!
The Queensland Ambulance Service are saying that there have been more injuries from using chainsaws to clear the mess than from the cyclone's more direct activities.
Ah, only in Oz!
I "rode out" a hurricane in Williamsburg, Virginia, a few years back. Looking out from my hotel room at the aftermath, it was interesting to see a marked patrol car of the Williamsburg police department stop in front. The officer, wearing a rain slicker, got out, popped the trunk, pulled a chainsaw out, cut a fallen tree into several sections, lashed a chain to the trailer hitch on the back of the patrol car, and moved the tree out of the street, to allow traffic to pass. Over here on the Left Coast, removing fallen trees from the road is NOT part of the job description of law enforcement officers.
I for one live in Qld, though Brisbane, so far from Innisfail (ehere most of the damage was concentrated). I dont think the reporting has been exaggerated, it was incredible that noone got seriously injured, the amount of damage is staggering. Last time there was this big a cyclone in Australia was Cylclone Tracy, and that destroyed most of Darwin (capital of the Northern Territory) and killed over 60 people. It was a combination of the warning systems and people evacuating and getting to the safe places that meant that wasn't repeated.
The clean up job is enormous, I really hope the government <i>is</i> doing as much as it can.
I don't know anyone up there. I hope those of you who do, your friends and relatives are coping altight.
aeh that last sentence was badly structured
I heard from a friend in Innisfail today. He adn his family escaped harm as did their house, although many of their immediate neighbours were hit very badly. However, my friend has taught me something useful about disaster preparation. In their freeer, he had largw bottles of water. When the power went off, these "iceblocks" helped keep the frozen foods cold for much longer than otherwise would have been the case. Nifty idea, I thought.
re: Over here on the Left Coast, removing fallen trees from the road is NOT part of the job description of law enforcement officers.
yeah, but....
i've been to the north west once (and california several times) and i have to admit, i gawked like a tourist at the trees. i had 2 big oaks in my yard (when i lived in a house) they were big enough for me to hide behind when playing hide and seek with my kids, and i am not small person.
but the trees in the west? they are like building in NYC.
everyone thinks they have seen tall building until they start to walk around NYC. then they stop looking where they are going, and instead walk around with their eyes upward gawking..
i have driven up and down the east coast (from Nova Scotia to Virginia,) and to Michigan, and even driven to California. but no where was i impressed with the size of the trees as i was in north of Seattle, (and in south part of BC.) and i suspect i didn't see the biggest trees out west.
Even a big east coast tree is well easy to haul away. (my neighbor when i lived in the house in Little Neck (the extreme edge of NYC) used to 'help' neighbors out, and clear downed trees for them, provide he could have the wood.
he bragged he heated his house for free. he, with his chain saws, and his little volvo could clear most downed trees in a few hours. hauling away a west coast tree would be a weeks work!