Monday, January 28, 2013

Tropical Cyclone Oswald Rakes Australia's East Coast

Trying to wrap my mind around this disaster. (I haven't been paying attention, and look what happens!)

Rainfall at Mt. Glorious over last 24 hours: 406 mm - 16 inches. UNBELIEVABLE! I can't even picture that! Indescribably wet, on steep slopes!

Not surprisingly, everything from Bundaberg on south is either swamped, or about to get swamped. It's even flooding in Warwick! The Condamine River is in flood, yet again (when I saw it in 2006, it had nearly dried up). The poor, battered Lockyer Valley is getting rebattered!

Alerts everywhere:


•Sydney rainfall totals could hit 150 millimetres
•Wind speeds in Sydney could reach 100km/h
•Brisbane braces for flooding
•Flights cancelled at Sydney Airport
•Drivers urged to avoid travel

...More than 500 Lismore households are preparing to evacuate as heavy rain from ex-tropical Oswald cyclone brings potentially severe flooding to the region.

...Areas surrounding Mullumbimby, in far northern NSW, were drenched in more than 400 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours to 9am, while Bellingen recorded almost 300 millimetres and Coffs Harbour about 200 millimetres in the same time.

...The same weather system is causing an extraordinary flood crisis in Queensland, as cities and towns across the state go under water.

Dramatic rescues were under way in Bundaberg, where the city’s worst flood on record left dozens of people trapped on rooftops. At least 2000 Bundaberg properties are flooded.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for people in north Bundaberg, and some other low-lying parts of the city.

The communities of Gympie and Maryborough are also flooding, while a major flood crisis is developing in the Lockyer Valley, where 19 lives were lost in the state's 2011 floods.

Brisbane and Ipswich are bracing for flooding expected on Monday night, with further flood peaks expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.

So far, three flood deaths have been confirmed in Queensland.

Mr Sharpe said one place in the Gold Coast hinterland had recorded an incredible 500 millimetres of rain in less than a day.

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