Australian Floods And Heavy Rain

[Coast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1tHIaz8jKA

Australian medical officials braced Thursday for rampant disease in the country's swamped northeast, with filthy floodwaters harbouring sewage, dead animals and dangerous debris. Dozens of towns have been inundated including large areas of Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, in flooding across an area twice the size of Texas, or France and Germany combined.

More than 100,000 Brisbane homes were without power and fresh water supplies had been cut or compromised in some areas, while raw sewage spilled into waterways from submerged homes across the state of Queensland. "We anticipate the number of patients with infections to swell as food, water and sanitation continue to be compromised," the Australian Medical Association (AMA) warned.

"Infections may vary from ingestion varieties including gastroenteritis and parasitic infestations causing vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pains to systemic infections."

Mosquito-borne diseases were also expected to surge as the insects multiply in the stagnant waters, and any cut exposed to the murky watert should be treated with antiseptic and closely monitored, AMA Queensland president Gino Pecoraro said. "People should avoid wading in even shallow water as it may be contaminated. If you must enter shallow floodwaters wear solid boots for protection," Pecoraro said, urging people to seek medical advice and a tetanus shot for more serious injuries.

Food spoiled due to the widespread power cuts was another crucial health risk, and Pecoraro said it was also vital to acknowledge the psychological trauma brought by the disaster and seek help. "This catastrophic event will impact our health system for many months and potentially years to come," he said. "We anticipate the mounting pressure on local hospitals will be overwhelming."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j_dchOkI5cjFf56DEv2JjtHfjytQ?docId=CNG.7e25f7c5d89565fea10627f109f43804.df1

[babibi]

Oh my dear god those poor horses in that video

Spoke to friends who live west of Gympie (Sunshine Coast), they are dairy farmers and haven't really been affected, although 15 acres of their land has flooded three times in the last week. My friend's uncle & aunt were driving into Toowoomba just as the "tsunami" wall of water was coming through, but thankfully they were able to turn around very quickly and get out of harm's way.

Ugh, this is all so sick and saddening. I wish I could fly back home and help out somehow

[Coast]

The climate pattern is being connected to the floods in Australia and the Philippines

How common is flooding in the areas affected?

"In a lot of places we're seeing the worst flooding that we've seen in the last several decades," said Nicholas Clingaman, a research scientist at Reading University's Walker Institute for Climate System Research. One cause is a weather pattern called La Niña (Spanish for "the girl").

"It's interesting to note that this is the strongest La Niña that we've seen in several decades. Certainly the research that we've been doing with the Queensland government has shown a direct link between the strength of the La Niña event and the strength of the monsoons in Australia."

What is La Niña?

La Niña is a periodic climate pattern which results in the cooling of the sea temperatures of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which brings about more rainfall in the western Pacific, and less on the eastern Pacific side of South America. It is the opposite of El Niño ("the boy"), which brings about more rainfall in the eastern Pacific and less in the western Pacific.

Are the floods around the world linked to La Niña?

Probably not all of them, although the science is not clear. The British Met Office says the floods in Australia and the Philippines are linked to La Niña, but not the extreme weather in Brazil and Sri Lanka. It is possible that Brazil's floods are connected to La Niña, but the evidence is not strong enough to make a direct link.

"They've had sort of a slow moving or not moving weather system over the same area for a while now … in Sri Lanka it's probably just increased shower activity as a result of the weather systems in the area but we don't know because we haven't studied them in detail yet," said a spokesperson for the Met Office.

But Clingaman says it is possible to make a link, though indirect, in the cases of Sri Lanka and Brazil.

Clingaman has also been working on flooding and climate issues with the Queensland government for the past two years.

"It's basically a disturbance of the atmospheric circulation that makes it more conducive to rainfall in these monsoon driven regions … and in Sri Lanka we've been seeing some of these easterly winds blowing off into the Indian Ocean and interacting with the monsoon system there as well," he said.

"Every La Niña and El Niño have a different character so it's going to take a little while and some research to understand whether we can wholly blame the flooding in Brazil on La Niña," he added.

How long is this La Niña and the heavy rainfall associated with it likely to last?

Probably around five years, although they can happen much more quickly than that, according to the Met Office. The heavy rainfall it brings is expected to decline during the next few months. The last La Niña was in 2007-2008.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/13/la-nina-pacific-weather-floods

[lorenzo]

This is a post from an ex-pat who lives in the area affected from a football forum I visit.

Sounds devastating but at least he is seeing the comedy in things...

''Anyone else here in Queensland and affected by the floods?

Has it been making the news in the UK? I've been out of contact with everything since Tuesday 1:30am when the cops knocked on my door and said "You *really* need to evacuate"

House went mostly under for me so lost all the bedrooms, the lounge, bathroom and loo are totally revolting, underneath lost it all including washing machine, dryer, air conditioner, hot water system. And although I had home and contents insurance the insurer are saying no way because of it being flood. So this is screwedsville.

BUT... I'm alive and well, missus is alive and well and the cats are sitting enjoying the lap of luxury in a nice air conditioned cattery. We moved to a motel and about 5 minutes after we arrived it's power went out so been dry, with cold showers but no power until about 7am this morning (hence able to post here!)

Want to hear a real f**king ironic kicker?

Got back to the house yesterday after the entire area had been entirely cut off for 4 days. (is it 4? I've lost track)

I got back and the postman had got back too. I had one piece of mail.

A water utilities bill. ''

[Coast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFQDf7UVLcY

The southern Australian town of Horsham has been split in two by water and at least one young boy is feared drowned. Rains which had laid waste to Queensland are now threatening the state of Victoria where flood waters continue to rise. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she had formed a panel of corporate leaders to support recovery. The floods have been described as Australia's most expensive natural disaster.

"We know many communities are anxiously waiting as floodwaters rise and many townships across Victoria have already been impacted by floodwaters," Ms Gillard said. "We also know that a small boy is missing, and so these are very difficult times in Victoria."

An eight-year-old boy disappeared in a flooded waterhole near the town of Shepparton on Monday morning and has not been found. Electricity cuts have occurred as power stations have been flooded. More than 3,500 people have evacuated their homes in the north central part of the state. Sandbags have been stacked up to try to withstand the waters, which are expected to peak later on Tuesday.

"You can't control nature totally, but I think to the extent we had about three or four days' warning and we have an experienced emergency team, I think we're going as well as we can," Horsham Mayor Michael Ryan said. Another official in Horsham, David Eltringham, said the town was expecting "a one-in-a-100-year flood". "We are expecting to see the peak maximum flood levels today and inundation will come with that," an emergency services spokeswoman said. "Significant inundation of properties is currently being experienced with water up to 1m (3ft) deep in some areas."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12212935

[Coast]

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia's deadly flood crisis forced more people to flee their homes Monday as a vast swath of muddy water spread further across the country's southeast, threatening to swamp several rural communities. Record rains that began in November left huge parts of Australia's northeast Queensland state under water, killing 30 people, damaging or destroying 30,000 homes and businesses and causing at least 3 billion Australian dollars ($3 billion) in damage to crops and lost coal exports. The flood disaster is now moving across southeast Victoria state, where driving rains have forced swollen rivers over their banks. The State Emergency Service has warned that a vast inland sea about 55 miles (90 kilometers) long northwest of the Victorian capital of Melbourne will continue coursing inland for the next week until it spills into the Murray River.

Emergency services were focusing their efforts 210 miles (340 kilometers) northwest of Melbourne at Swan Hill, a town of 10,000 where the Murray meets the swollen Lodden River and flood waters are expected to peak mid week, the State Emergency Service said. Several hundred residents were evacuated Sunday from tiny communities east of Swan Hill, including Pental Island, where about 50 properties were expected to become isolated or inundated. On Monday, some residents of the small community of Murrabit West, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Swan Hill, were urged to evacuate as water from the Murray began spilling over the levees protecting the township. An emergency service spokeswoman said officials did not yet know how many homes were at risk of being flooded.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan said in a statement Sunday that the floods will rank as one of the most costly natural disasters in Australian history and its impact on the economy will be felt for years. The government will announce its first cost estimates on Friday, he said.

Swan and Prime Minister Julia Gillard were in the Queensland capital of Brisbane on Monday for a meeting of Gillard's business taskforce, which was set up following the Queensland floods to encourage companies to donate to relief effort. The State Emergency Service said Monday that 76 towns in Victoria have been affected by flooding, with 1,770 properties suffering some water damage. Another five to 10 towns are still in the floodwaters' northern path across flat wheat-growing country.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5it7qMtJZmVn-5FTHfiyMDf6jT9lg?docId=6a7fb9c4a82a49e8b618120743066ed5

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12263393

[Coast]

Still reeling from flooding, Queensland braces for worst ever storm

The state of Queensland, still reeling from the effects of weeks of widespread flooding, is bracing for the arrival of what could be the state's worst cyclone in history. Tropical Cyclone Yasi, which currently lies northwest of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean, is expected to strengthen into a category four storm, the second highest category, before hitting the north coast of the Sunshine State later this week.

In preparation for its arrival, tourist resorts on the popular Whitsunday Islands have been evacuated and several ports along the busy coast have been shut down. Residents in towns from Innisfail to Mackay have been warned to batten down the hatches or consider fleeing before the storm hits early on Thursday morning, while emergency management teams have held meetings across the state's north. Authorities have also warned locals to stock up on food, water, batteries and other essentials in case they are cut off for a number of days after Yasi strikes.

There are fears that Yasi could whip up the seas and create a storm surge that would cause significant flooding in low-lying areas, just weeks after devastating floods killed more than 30 people and covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Anna Bligh, the state's premier, said the cyclone was "a very serious threat".

"It may well be one of the largest and most serious cyclone threats we have ever had to deal with," she said. "This is an event we have to take seriously. I know cyclones can at the last minute turn off the coast, and I certainly hope this one does.

"But the bureau advises me in the most serious terms, that all of the modelling right now says this is going to cross our coast."

Queensland is in the middle of cyclone season and escaped major damage when Cyclone Anthony, crossed the coast on Sunday. However, Cyclone Yasi – dubbed Anthony's "big ugly sister" – is expected to be far more powerful. Forecasters have predicted that the storm could bring winds of 160mph – putting it on a par with Hurricane Katrina – and up to four feet of rain in a matter of hours. It is feared that the system could be worse than Cyclone Larry, which devastated the town of Innisfail in 2006 causing $1bn worth of damage. Large swaths of northern Queensland are still saturated and authorities fear that heavy rain from the cyclone could cause further inundation.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone warning covering a huge section of Queensland's coast stretching 560 miles – nearly the length of Britain. The most destructive storm in Australian history was Cyclone Tracy, which in 1974 flattened Darwin, killing 65 people and leaving only about 400 of the city's 11,200 houses intact.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8292796/Still-reeling-from-flooding-Queensland-braces-for-worst-ever-storm.html

[Gray-Wolf]

Been watching this develop over on the 'cane thread and it doesn't look good for the region. Obviously no expert but there looks to be more to follow as well?