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Australian Flood Crisis - cities under water, sharks in the streets
- Thread starter legend166
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I was going to completely fly off the handle at you then for saying "more gradual" but you're completely right. It's still come through fucking quickly, but compared to a hurricane, the destruction is more "gradual". It's just a weird-sounding word to use in a situation where you see cars floating down a road quicker than they'd drive down it.UltimaPooh said:
PS. Holy shit at the Riverwalk, Elf... wow. Must reiterate, hope all you banana-bending GAFfers come out of this okay. Seeing how close it's hitting some of you (especially x3n0s, I think it was) seems to make it more "real" to those not anywhere near it (like the bushfires a few years back, I guess).
It's been flooding elsewhere in the state since December, so everyone has been mindful of floods, and most sensible people (or at least the majority of those I know) keep their eyes on the meteorological radar and watch the dam levels. The culture of dam level watching has been instilled in many because of our familiarity with drought conditions.UltimaPooh said:
Very few criticisms can be thrown the government's way, in terms of what they've physically done and how they've communicated the situation, both at a state and federal level. The state's premier (AU equivalent of a governor) will likely come out of this looking pretty good. The Prime Minister is not a popular leader and regardless of what she does, people's opinion of her isn't likely to change.
As for preparedness, I don't know if anything could have been done any better.
Tuesday's incident in Toowoomba came as a big surprise because of the townships elevation on the range, and was the most violent occurrence of flooding yet. For people in metro areas, there were plenty of maps available with high resolution information showing what areas will be affected and what roads and services would be affected.
4am tomorrow is the moment everyone is fearing, with the river level expected to peak at 5.2m, down-estimated from the original calculation of 5.5m. After that the picture is less clear, and there is not yet talk of how long it will take for the flood waters to dissipate.
The rate of impact is fair lower than in New Orleans and I have no idea how long it will take for us to pull through and tidy it up.
Mohonky
Member
x3n05 said:Outside our house at 9:30AM
10AM
This is at Woolloongabba (just off Deshon St), low tide was at 9AM so no idea how high it got to by 3PM. Our house is high-set (2.8M off the ground so inside 'should' be fine unless looters get to it). We drove home through South Brisbane, car nearly stalled going through the lake that is now there.
Yo x3n, you need a place to crash let me know. No flooding where I am 20min from Gabba.
Bligh looks like she's been getting 3 hrs of sleep a day whereas Gillard looks like she just stepped out of her make-up van.Tntnnbltn said:
Even in the Howard years, she couldn't even show up at a sausage sizzle and not look awkwardly out of place.
Bligh seems pretty well abreast of the details and it appears that if she's not addressing the press, then she's been collaborating with emergency services.
UltimaPooh said:
i've been on the end of total destruction from a cyclone, and still it only took the govt 6 or so hrs after it ended for us to start seeing real help. I would expect the response now to be much faster than that.
and i mean total destruction.
the response was very good for the time and the level of destruction.
but now we have dedicated shelters, an advanced warning system, detailed plans for any post event contigencies up to and including that again.
ie the army move some of their heavy machinery to the airport in advance to clear the runways, the emergency services have everything that opens and shuts including sat phones etc. the army and police have pretty much total power after the event. the airlines are in line to supply jets for evacs as well as the military. all of this is planned ahead of the event. post event there is a quick rece to see the damage and problems and then the appropriate plan is wheeled out.
On a purely relative level, this is going to be more damaging to the Australian economy than Katrina was to the US economy. They're predicting it's going to cause the nation's economy to retract this quarter because of it, whereas before it was going to be 0.7% growth.
But on an absolute level, they're not at all comparable. According to Wikipedia Katrina cost $81 billion and took 1800+ lives.
But on an absolute level, they're not at all comparable. According to Wikipedia Katrina cost $81 billion and took 1800+ lives.
I think that in a way Brisbane was very fortunate to have the 1974 flood. It's given people something to relate the current news to. People who were around then remember the 1974 flood, and when the media says 'levels equal to or higher than 1974' people know this is serious. I think people would be a lot less prepared had 1974 not happened.
Edit: Well, that and the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam. In hindsight, the Wivenhoe Dam has probably been more significant. :lol
Edit: Well, that and the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam. In hindsight, the Wivenhoe Dam has probably been more significant. :lol
The Storyteller
Member
:lol Kevin getting his photo op on ABC right now.
The Storyteller
Member
Tntnnbltn said:
Yeah it didn't actually, it even felt like Kevin wanted the journalist to leave him alone.
Salazar said:
That's what I assumed he meant too, but there isn't exactly any highrises outside of the Brisbane city pics so I dont know what he's referring to exactly.
Batman building says G'day!Salazar said:
Rather than over analyse the poor buggers comment, I'll post some happy news for those that like snakes:
Town snake-infested after quarry bursts
More at the link, I hope everyone is alright, sounds like it was pretty dramatic.
Town snake-infested after quarry bursts
More at the link, I hope everyone is alright, sounds like it was pretty dramatic.
$1148 Jack
Member
About to get power cut off here in South Brisbane. Good night and good luck BrisGaf.
Router said:
:lol
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/explosives-destroy-riverwalk-20110112-19nwp.html?from=smh_ft
This is a goddamn shame. You could tell Campbell was pissed about having to do it on the radio.
akachan ningen
Member
Router said:
I thought that was normal for australia? Don't put down your countrymen so much. They look like nice guys.
Dead Man said:
better than Rockie, they got CROCS. Fuck that.
http://www.themorningbulletin.com.a...mpton-floods-crocodile-fire-rescue-berserker/
The Storyteller
Member
Router said:
I feel horrible for thinking this too. :lol
Tntnnbltn said:
Ahh.
UltimaPooh
Member
Shaneus said:
Haha. Relax I'm not trying to say that the current floods in Australia are something that aren't immediate or not a disaster. I guess gradual was the wrong word. Perhaps I should have said the disaster isn't an overnight thing like New Orleans was.
Really I envy you guys if your government is getting people in and out safely and hastily. I wish New Orleans didn't turn out the way it did.
chicko1983
Member
I just had a person on facebook update his status to A Bull Shark spotted in a flooded street in Goodna, QLD .... This is staggering stuff. is this true!!!
UltimaPooh said:
Katrina was on a massive scale and I think there was a lack of imagination with the administration from what I can tell looking from over here. As has been mentioned before there has been flooding in various parts of Australia for months. I remember warnings over a year ago from climatologists because La Niña weather patterns have been forecast from two years ago and that always results in well above rainfall in a lot of places in Australia. Brisbane suffered a similar flood in '74, so the flood patterns are well known.
The Storyteller
Member
Salazar said:
Indeed. Fuck that.
My apologies!x3n05 said:You scared me, it's the area I have evacuated to, turns out the article is from 2008
They mentioned the boiled water thing on the ABC, and I did a quick google to see if it was a Brisbane-wide thing, and then I saw that and just assumed. My bad.
Looks like it's rural areas in the west only.
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