Yasi

[alecstone]

Are any here in the path or vicinity of Yasi? Or have relatives affected?

[bambu]

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/north-queensland-braces-for-cyclone-anthony-as-cyclone-yasi-brews-behind-it/story-fn7ik2te-1225997552623

Live coverage: Cyclone Yasi to bring 'tsunami surge' as a Category 5 storm


MANDATORY evacuations begin this morning as the Bureau of Meteorology warns the storm is "likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations" and predicts winds of up to 320km/h. Tidal storm surges will cause devastation as the storm hits directly on high tide. Live updates.

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The whole of FNQ should've been evacuated by now...IMO.
It hasn't.
Or at least into massive cyclone-proof evacuation centres, which don't exist, a total outrage.
My rellies with little kids should've just left and driven south with whatever they could carry in their car and trailer, dogs etc as well...IMO.....but haven't.
I would've, but they're not me, and I don't live there.
I'm going to go 'hide under the bed' until it's all over, and deal with the aftermath, whatever that might be.
Not looking good.

"Wrap yourselves in blankets and mattresses and hide under a strong table".
Lovely.
And what happens if the house is on its way to Kakadu in a million pieces, table and you included?

[Chris]

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/north-queensland-braces-for-cyclone-anthony-as-cyclone-yasi-brews-behind-it/story-fn7ik2te-1225997552623

Live coverage: Cyclone Yasi to bring 'tsunami surge' as a Category 5 storm

Queensland is doing it tough this year.

They'll have to change their slogan to "Perfect one day... fatal the next".

[bambu]

Wet seasons and cyclones are nothing new to Qld, especially FNQ.

The 'total' lack of a proper plan to keep all the People safe is a disgrace.

TV news yesterday:  "Some people at a Cairns caravan park are just going to move into the caravan park toilets and shelter there".

The whole situation is 'ridiculous'.

Each town/city should have a cat 5 cyclone-proof shelter or 50 for all its residents to rush to.
...including pets!
It/they should always be stacked full of food and amenities...and have its own generators and fuel tanks.

Where are there such things up there?
Answer? Nowhere to be seen.

[bambu]

The radio news just stated that Yasi is now moving slightly south, towards Innisfail.

"Many people are evacuating but one man who lives at Halifax said he's staying"... "We're just going to bunker down in the middle of the house and hope we'll be OK...it's an old 'Queenslander', hopefully it'll be strong enough".

Hopefully the 'winds of up to 320km/h' won't turn it into match sticks.

It's a worry.

[tilly]

Are any here in the path or vicinity of Yasi? Or have relatives affected?

Alec we have a house at Kurrimine Beach and have spent a bit of time in the area which as far as we can gather is now evacuated.....hopefully all are gone to a safer area....I don't know how they cope....it is only 5 years next month since Larry...the fear being felt at the moment is unimaginable...we also have relaltives in Townsville....who hubby is talking to at the moment

[bambu]

I don't know how they cope either.
Returning to no home, or a badly damaged home every 5 years or so would be too much for me to bear.
They must love living there, is all I can say.

250km/h+ to 320km/h winds blow everything away, including houses, adults, kids, dogs etc don't they?

[bambu]

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/remembering-storm-leaves-many-shaken/story-fn7ik2te-1225998735808

Remembering Cyclone Larry: 'I spent 14 months living in a kennel'

Clotilda Lazzarich surveys the remnants of her home in 2006, two months after Cyclone Larry wiped it out. Picture: Brian Cassey Source: The Courier-Mail


CLOTILDA Lazzarich, 72, remembers Cyclone Larry with a shudder.

The Category 4 event - with an eye half the size of colossal Cyclone Yasi - wiped out her home in Innisfail nearly five years ago, along with 10,000 others, and left behind a billion-dollar damages bill.

Ms Lazzarich spent more than 14 months living in a dog kennel after the storm. She cannot imagine what Cyclone Yasi has in store for Queensland.

"It's coming," she shrugged. "And that's it. No point panicking."

Hundreds of thousands of north Queenslanders from the Whitsundays to Cooktown and west to Mount Isa are braced for the behemoth bearing down with its eye on the tropical tourist mecca of Cairns.

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I can imagine.
When 'Katrina' starts being mentioned, people should've taken Premier Bligh's advice and left long before now.
Many people up there don't seem to realise, or 'care' what Yasi actually is...'life-threatening'.



http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/how-cyclone-yasi-compares-around-the-world/story-fn7ik2te-1225998762870

How Cyclone Yasi compares around the world

IF you're struggling to grasp the magnitude of Tropical Cyclone Yasi, consider this: it is so large it would almost cover the United States, most of Asia and large parts of Europe.

Most of the coverage about the scale of Yasi has tried to compare it with storms of the past - it's bigger than Larry, more powerful than Tracy.

But just as powerful is this comparison, showing this storm is continental in size.  The main bloc of the cyclone is 500km wide, while its associated activity, shown above in a colour-coding to match intensity, stretches over 2000km.



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Radio news just now: "Evacuation centres around Cairns are full".

Think it said "Innisfail is being evacuated".

Far too little, far too late, the state and federal govts are pathetic...and stand condemned!
Those people who want to get into an evacuation centre can't, as the centres are full...if there's even an evacuation centre to go to.
Yes, just like the Titanic, not a life boat seat for every passenger.



Is there an online half-day degree course one can do to become a grief counsellor for one's wife?

[bambu]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/evacuation-centres-overflowing/story-fn6ck45n-1225998804424

Evacuation centres overflowing


TERRIFIED residents in the state's far north were left with nowhere to hide from Cyclone Yasi after Cairns evacuation centres filled up and were closed off.

Shelters set up to provide emergency accommodation were brimming beyond capacity after the upgading of Yasi to category 5 scuttled plans to ride out the cyclone at home.

Residents turned up at a series of evacuation centres to find police guarding the gates, stopping people from entering or leaving in a bid to maintain the safety of evacuees.

Police were forced to stop some evacuees from opening emergency exits inside one, the Stockland Earlville Shopping Centre, to let in relatives and friends.

New evacuation centres were opened, and existing ones expanded, to cater for the extra demand. Buses were arranged to taking the overflow of people to the new centres.

But local radio was running reports warning evacuation centres were full, deterring residents from seeking out the shelters. Some residents who did drive to the centres and found them full said they would return home and take their chances.

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Another govt stuff up.

No communication much with Palm Island.
'No' evacuations from Palm Island.
"Out of sight/Out of mind" Aboriginal community" former mayor Rob Blackwell just said on Ch7.
"70% of housing on Palm Island is structurally unsound".
"The evacuation centre on Palm Island is 3metres from the shore".
"Any storm surge and houses will be washed away".
"A boat left yesterday doing evacuations, but at the evacuees' own cost, so not many people left, mainly
govt employees".

[bambu]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/

HOURS FROM HELL ON EARTH

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We found out today on the radio from a man who was on the reconstruction/future building codes Darwin cyclone taskforce...that implementing the required building standards to survive future cat 5 cyclones would've cost too much...cost too much to build homes etc to the standards...
...so the standards were reduced.

Another 'joke'.

[Crankenstein]

They'll have to change their slogan to "Perfect one day... fatal the next".

You're obviously not a Queenslander. Our weather patterns work on an hourly basis, not daily.

[ECB86]

My missus' mother is up there, had to leave her house boarded up and stay with friends. Good luck to everyone up there and lets hope at least noone is hurt.

[Chris]

My missus' mother is up there, had to leave her house boarded up and stay with friends. Good luck to everyone up there and lets hope at least noone is hurt.

With those winds hitting that fast... accompanied by a metre of rain... plus the probability of a 2 metre storm surge upriver doesn't fill anyone with hope tho.

Best of luck to all who decided to brave it out... to those who just *couldn't* get out... and of course those who may well be out in the bush with no idea anything is about to happen to them.

Fingers crossed. Will be watching the TV from 10:00 onwards hoping for the best.

[alecstone]

Have family and friends up that way. Praying for them and others!

[bambu]

Written on the boarded-up window of one business:

"Kiss my Yasi!"