You resident Aussies here ...

uwe · January 03, 2011, 07:22:43 AM

I read in the newspaper that the flooded areas in Queensland/Northern Territiry are as large as Germany and France combined - that is mindboggling. I always though you guys were an arid dustbin with lizards scurrying around. If you have relatives and friends there, I hope they are fine. I read that human casualities are so far very low ("just" that one woman in the car) and hopefully everyone will get back on their feet (and out of their Wellies!) very soon. We had bad floods in Germany a couple of years ago (not of the massive size you have to face now of course) and, inevitably, the regions are now perfectly rebuilt with a much better anti-flood infrastructure in place.

Best!

Uwe

Aussie Mark · January 03, 2011, 03:48:14 PM

Casualties are 10 now, but that's still low for a flood of this size. The trouble with arid dustbowls is that when the ground gets rock hard from drought, the rains won't soak in. The biggest issue for us will be the impact on food prices, as the flooded areas include a major beef cattle region, and fruit and vegetable farming areas. The Queensland areas affected also include most of Australia's export coal mines - coal is this country's single biggest export commodity. There are 45 ships waiting off the central Queensland coast waiting to be loaded with export coal.

uwe · January 04, 2011, 04:59:08 AM

Mark just gave advice to buy international food stocks - $:-\$ . Sorry, not trying to be cynical, but it seems that the world works this way more and more.

I hope casualities don't rise any further. Are large floods like this every ten years or so the norm or is there any explanation why this is happening now with such force?

Freuds_Cat · January 04, 2011, 05:35:15 AM

We have just had a 10 year severe drought. Some say a once in 100 years occurrence. Older people say a once on 50 years drought. Like Mark says makes it hard for the water to just run away down a hole. Parts of western Australia are still in drought. My state (South Australia) is probably doing the best out of all this. For the first time in about 10 years the biggest river in the country (The Murray) is flowing out to sea about 50km from where I live. Of course this is just as the Desalination plant that the Govt (we the tax payers *ironic sigh*) paid over a billion dollars for is about to come online. $:-\$

Most of SA's north is what you would call stereotypical Aussie desert. Very few people live up there by comparison to most of the US or Europe. We have an area called the Channel country.The Channel Country is located on the borders of Queensland , New South Wales , South Australia and the Northern Territory. Its a desert with very big water channels scarred across it. Prone to flash flooding from rains fallen hundreds of Kms away it has (as far as I know) the only Ferry (punt) in the middle of a desert.

Highlander · January 04, 2011, 02:25:15 PM

I vaguely remember someone saying something about the foot wide gutters some places have on buildings and tourists asking why you need such things when it's so dry...

What's old Pete Garrett had to say about things...? Is he still the Environment Minister...?

Keep the waders handy and your powder dry guys...

Freuds_Cat · January 04, 2011, 03:50:31 PM

Our Venerable vocalist from Midnight Oil, ie Environment minister Garrett has been the subject of one of the wikileaks this week. I believe he is still on holidays.

I think the gutters thing was me talking about Pinnaroo. I've seen some recent pics of the main street and these days ita all modern bitumen and concrete guttering.

Big flood.

Mackay

Interesting comparison from NASA
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=48319

Very good slide show here
http://www.news-mail.com.au/photos/galleries/aerial-view-rockhampton-flood-03-jan/#num=1&id=aerial-view-rockhampton-flood-03-jan

Highlander · January 05, 2011, 03:24:38 PM

Good Grief...!

Freuds_Cat · January 05, 2011, 10:20:26 PM

well said.

Its not just one town but many over a massive area as Uwe mentioned. Some of them quite large like Rockhampton.

uwe · January 06, 2011, 11:25:36 AM

Is the Midnight Oil guy really in the administration? I had no friggin idea! I knew he was politically active, but more on a grassroots, out-of-parliament level.

Freuds_Cat · January 06, 2011, 01:23:47 PM

Yep, Peter Garrett was Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts uner former prime minister Kevin Rudd. He is now is Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth under PM Julia Gillard.

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=HV4

ack1961 · January 06, 2011, 01:29:45 PM

Quote from: Freuds_Cat on January 06, 2011, 01:23:47 PM
Yep, Peter Garrett was Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts uner former prime minister Kevin Rudd. He is now is Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth under PM Julia Gillard.

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=HV4

Peter and his lab-coat wearing minions used to visit us at least once a year at Pine Gap.

Freuds_Cat · January 06, 2011, 02:53:04 PM

Quote from: ack1961 on January 06, 2011, 01:29:45 PM
Peter and his lab-coat wearing minions used to visit us at least once a year at Pine Gap.

I hope you didn't have any roof insulation installed up there

Aussie Mark · January 10, 2011, 07:29:38 PM

Toowoomba, which sits on top of a mountain range, got hit yesterday. 8 dead, 72 missing ...

Freuds_Cat · January 10, 2011, 10:17:15 PM

Floods of biblical proportion in the East, bushfires in the West. The Doomsdayers are out again. 21st of May they say.

http://www.embeddedworks.com/ChristReturns/

Maybe this time they are right?

Freuds_Cat · January 11, 2011, 05:15:30 AM

10 dead 59 missing now