Cyclones, far and wide

[white_crane]

Well I survived no problems. However, we're in for one of the biggest floods in the past few decades. There is a possibility of Ellie moving back out to sea and reforming or another possibility is it moving further inland and another low moving in to the coast. Oh well, I won't be going to work tomorrow (they don't like you boating down the roads!), but at least I'll have more time to spend trading.

...And now it's raining again...heavily

 

[SM Junkie]

We might have two cyclones by the end of the week, one off each coast.

 

[CoffeeKing]

Buckets and buckets of rain may your rivers never run dry

 

[Wysiwyg]

Cyclone Hamish travelling south from east of Cooktown at present.

FORECAST
Maximum winds within 25 nautical miles of the centre 60 knots, increasing to 65
knots after 060600UTC and to 75 knots after 061800UTC. Seas rising very high to
phenomenal on heavy confused swell.Within 40 nautical miles of the centre clockwise winds 48/63 knots with high
seas and heavy swell.
Elsewhere, clockwise winds 34/47 knots with very rough seas and heavy swell.

 

[Stan 101]

The rain is starting to get heavier here in Cairns. Wind hasn't picked consistently yet. Just getting the occasional blow.


cheers,

 

[Julia]

I heard a weather bulletin this evening that Hamish has been upgraded to a Category Five!!

Let's hope it changes course and goes out to sea.

All the best to everyone up in FNQ.

Then it's supposed to reach the South East by late Monday.

 

[Stan 101]

I heard a weather bulletin this evening that Hamish has been upgraded to a Category Five!!

That's wind gusts up to 78 metres a second. Julia if it gets to your part of town and looks to cross the coast as a cat 4 or 5, I'd be looking for better shelter inland.

 

[Wysiwyg]

Yeah category 5 is destructive and where I am in C.Q. visiting my parents at this very moment it has just started heavy rain.Townsville to Ayr watch has been cancelled so the cyclone path by Sunday morning should reveal if southern coastal towns face imminent dangers.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish, a CATEGORY 5 CYCLONE, is located off the north Queensland coast and at 10:00 pm EST was estimated to be 180 kilometres north northeast of Hayman Is and 275 kilometres east northeast of Townsville, moving southeast at 17 kilometres per hour.

CATEGORY 5 (severe tropical cyclone)
Extremely dangerous with widespread destruction.
A Category 5 cyclone's strongest winds are VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of more than 280 km/h.

 

[Julia]

That's wind gusts up to 78 metres a second. Julia if it gets to your part of town and looks to cross the coast as a cat 4 or 5, I'd be looking for better shelter inland.

Thanks for the advice, Stan 101. Would Maryborough be far enough ?
(About 60kms).

 

[Stan 101]

Hi Julia, don't mean to alarm, but I'd call SES and get a safe place from them. That is if the cyclone looks to be crossing the coast..

 

[sails]

Thanks for the advice, Stan 101. Would Maryborough be far enough ?
(About 60kms).

Trust you will be OK, Julia. Not sounding good on the news. Wondering what happens to your dog if you have to evacuate? Will be thinking of you ...

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Latest is as per image Julia. My take on cyclones is that if they hug the coast they tend to weaken, so as you see the category has dropped from Townsville to Mackay and Rocky, froma 5 to a 3.

They are unpredictable though.

Take care and remember the loo is the safest place, an iPod, a radio, water and plenty of precooked Fray Bentos Pies will get you through. The pastry is particularly nice on the third day. I keep everything cool with VB in an eskie and warm after the deluge with some lady friends who come to stay as they know I am well prepared.

I must admit mobile phones have taken all the fun out of cyclones.

Oh and garpaldog gets to stay in the loo, usually in the shower, with a bone and a bowl of water.

gg

 

[Julia]

Hi Julia, don't mean to alarm, but I'd call SES and get a safe place from them. That is if the cyclone looks to be crossing the coast..

Hi Stan 101, it's projected to cross the coast at Hervey Bay late Tuesday. The Regional Council have suggested everyone in low lying areas should get out before then as they anticipate both storm surge and flooding from heavy rain. I'm in a fairly high position, no risk from the sea.

Trust you will be OK, Julia. Not sounding good on the news. Wondering what happens to your dog if you have to evacuate? Will be thinking of you ...

Thanks Margaret. Wherever I go, the dog goes too. Everyone in the neighbourhood is staying put, taping windows, sandbagging doorways if water runoff is towards the house etc. I'll decide tomorrow, depending on what happens. Hopefully it will be further downgraded and/or will change course out to sea.

Latest is as per image Julia. My take on cyclones is that if they hug the coast they tend to weaken, so as you see the category has dropped from Townsville to Mackay and Rocky, froma 5 to a 3.

Thanks GG. Had just been on the BOM website and seen that image.
With a bit of luck it will be down to a category 2 by the time it gets here.

How was it in Townsville? I gather all danger has now passed on from you.

They are unpredictable though.

Take care and remember the loo is the safest place, an iPod, a radio, water and plenty of precooked Fray Bentos Pies will get you through. The pastry is particularly nice on the third day. I keep everything cool with VB in an eskie and warm after the deluge with some lady friends who come to stay as they know I am well prepared.

Why the loo? They are both on outside walls with windows. The Disaster Advice website recommends an internal hallway surrounded and/or covered with mattresses, quilts etc.

I must admit mobile phones have taken all the fun out of cyclones.

Umm, I'd have rather thought 'fun' and 'cyclone' were mutually exclusive terms, gg!
I've never experienced a cyclone so confess to feeling a bit anxious.
It's pretty windy already and has been spitting with rain all day.

Perhaps Garpaldog can do some canine telepathy to Libbydog with his advice as to correct behaviour during a cyclone.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Thanks Margaret. Wherever I go, the dog goes too. Everyone in the neighbourhood is staying put, taping windows, sandbagging doorways if water runoff is towards the house etc. I'll decide tomorrow, depending on what happens. Hopefully it will be further downgraded and/or will change course out to sea.




Thanks GG. Had just been on the BOM website and seen that image.
With a bit of luck it will be down to a category 2 by the time it gets here.

How was it in Townsville? I gather all danger has now passed on from you.




Why the loo? They are both on outside walls with windows. The Disaster Advice website recommends an internal hallway surrounded and/or covered with mattresses, quilts etc.




Umm, I'd have rather thought 'fun' and 'cyclone' were mutually exclusive terms, gg!
I've never experienced a cyclone so confess to feeling a bit anxious.
It's pretty windy already and has been spitting with rain all day.

Perhaps Garpaldog can do some canine telepathy to Libbydog with his advice as to correct behaviour during a cyclone.[/QUOTE]



I flew from Brisbane to Townsville yesterday evening and the pilot had to abort the landing at 400 metres because of the wind. It concentrated everyone's mind as you would imagine. we landed safely from the east. we have had little or no rain, hardly know it was about, although I was in Bne last week.
The loo is the best place as it is anchored by the pipes to terra firma.
Libbydog can have her doings in the shower and then it can be washed away.
It is frightening though, I've been through 2 only and wouldn't wish another.
The mobile comment was to point out that too much information is often not helpful and can lead to panic. Most folk survive cyclones and get on with mopping up.
gg
ps watch out for powerlines afterwards, a major cause of fatalities.
gg

 

[sails]

Thanks Margaret. Wherever I go, the dog goes too. Everyone in the neighbourhood is staying put, taping windows, sandbagging doorways if water runoff is towards the house etc. I'll decide tomorrow, depending on what happens. Hopefully it will be further downgraded and/or will change course out to sea.

News seems a little better this morning - hopefully it will weaken further and move on out to sea.

Sounds like you and Libbydog are well prepared

 

[SM Junkie]

BOM and the Joint Typoon Centre have different projections, which is quite unusual.

If BOM's model is correct, then it suggests the cyclone may have an opportunity to slow, intensify and be completely unpredictable. Makes a real interesting time.

My 2c for surviving a cyclone, have a plan B. Great to be in the strongest part of the house, but if windows blow in, your roof blows off, you will need a backup plan. I also recommend putting valuables and important papers into a waterproof container and storing it at the bottom of the cupboard. Through a cyclone the rain hits you vertically and may come up under the eaves. When we went through George, it was like having an indoor water feature, but it is the least of your worries when you are just praying the house holds together. I hope it goes out to sea.

 

[Julia]

News seems a little better this morning - hopefully it will weaken further and move on out to sea.

Sounds like you and Libbydog are well prepared

Perhaps, but it didn't stop me from being very, very anxious. Such a relief that it's now not forecast to cross the coast here. Current suggestion is that it will be further downgraded to a 3 or 2 but could still cross the coast further south on Wednesday. Hope it doesn't get down as far as you, Margaret.

My 2c for surviving a cyclone, have a plan B. Great to be in the strongest part of the house, but if windows blow in, your roof blows off, you will need a backup plan. I also recommend putting valuables and important papers into a waterproof container and storing it at the bottom of the cupboard. Through a cyclone the rain hits you vertically and may come up under the eaves. When we went through George, it was like having an indoor water feature, but it is the least of your worries when you are just praying the house holds together. I hope it goes out to sea.

Many thanks for good suggestions, SM Junkie. So if you were sheltering in strongest part of the house and it all happened as you describe above, what would you do? It would seem very risky to attempt to drive anywhere with bits of houses flying around etc.

 

[overit]

So if you were sheltering in strongest part of the house and it all happened as you describe above, what would you do? It would seem very risky to attempt to drive anywhere with bits of houses flying around etc.

From the BOM site -

When the cyclone strikes

* Disconnect all electrical appliances. Listen to your battery radio for updates.
* Stay inside and shelter {well clear of windows) in the strongest part of the building,
i.e. cellar, internal hallway or bathroom. Keep evacuation and emergency kits with you.
* If the building starts to break up, protect yourself with mattresses, rugs or blankets under a
strong table or bench or hold onto a solid fixture, e.g. a water pipe.
* Beware the calm 'eye'. If the wind drops, don't assume the cyclone is over; violent winds
will soon resume from another direction. Wait for the official 'all clear'.
* If driving, stop (handbrake on and in gear) - but well away from the sea and clear of trees,
power lines and streams. Stay in the vehicle.

After the cyclone

* Don't go outside until officially advised it is safe.
* Check for gas leaks. Don't use electric appliances if wet.
* Listen to local radio for official warnings and advice.
* If you have to evacuate, or did so earlier, don't return until advised. Use a recommended route and don't rush.
* Beware of damaged power lines, bridges, buildings, trees, and don't enter floodwaters.
* Heed all warnings and don't go sightseeing. Check/help neighbours instead.
* Don't make unnecessary telephone calls.

 

[sails]

Perhaps, but it didn't stop me from being very, very anxious. Such a relief that it's now not forecast to cross the coast here. Current suggestion is that it will be further downgraded to a 3 or 2 but could still cross the coast further south on Wednesday. Hope it doesn't get down as far as you, Margaret.

Yes, there would be a fair bit of anxiety. We have family a bit further inland from HB, so keeping closely in touch by phone and watching weather maps - so a bit of anxiety here as well!

Oh dear, I hope it doesn't come down this far. With our daughter's household of furniture in storage plus a good bit of our stuff as well, the last thing we need now is a flood. After the second lot of storm water damage, Fort Knox moved us to another facility about 25kms away and not sure if it's flood prone there. Hopefully Qld housing will come good soon for her so we can get everything out of storage...

 

[SM Junkie]

So if you were sheltering in strongest part of the house and it all happened as you describe above, what would you do? It would seem very risky to attempt to drive anywhere with bits of houses flying around etc.

No don't drive anywhere...first if your house is not built for cyclones, then I would suggest you go to the emergency shelter that will be established in a school or council building, especially if it is a category 3 or above... call the SES, they make the calls when it comes to the alert system and all other agencies will be working with them in the event the cyclone comes your way. Already they will have a plan in place.

But if you think your home is up for it, then follow the advice you have been given below. The wind changes direction and depending on where you live and what protection is afforded then the best place to locate yourself may change, just keep away from windows and doors and hopefully you will be fine. I don't recommend you go through one on your own, always better to have others around in case of an emergency.