Posted on 03/08/2009 6:28:49 PM PDT by TaraP
Evacuations continued Sunday along Australia's Queensland coast as a Category 5 cyclone moved closer to the mainland.
Residents were preparing for Cyclone Hamish, possibly the worst storm in almost 30 years, to make landfall Tuesday between Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.
Winds of up to 280 km/h were recorded as the cyclone approached islands in north Queensland on Sunday.
The town of Airlie Beach, which is the gateway from the mainland to the Whitsundays, was already being pounded by strong winds and heavy rain.
Evacuations were reported on several north Queensland islands, including Fraser, Lady Elliot, Heron, South Molle, Long and the Whitsunday Islands. On Hamilton Island, about 3,000 people were sheltering in the resort's cyclone-proof hotel.
Both the Mackay and Hamilton Island airports were closed, Australia Network News reported.
Bureau of Meteorology Cyclone Warning Centre forecaster Tony Auden said the storm was moving parallel to the coast in northeastern Australia and was expected to continue on that course for the next one to two days.
Queensland Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said Hamish could produce a storm surge of up to two metres
Kind of ironic that this is the Biggest Storm to hit Australia in 30 yrs and the GAY PARADE had it’s biggest showing in 31 years...
Wednesday, 04 March 2009 11:20
The 2009 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade has been confirmed as the biggest in the event’s 31 year history, with individual parade entrants now exceeding 9,500.
Speaking to SX this week, New Mardi Gras (NMG) Chair David Imrie said that entrants had now exceeded last year’s number, which at the time was a new record.
“To be honest, we weren’t expecting to exceed last year’s number for some time, as it was the thirtieth anniversary – obviously quite a significant anniversary,” he said. “We thought that numbers would probably come back a little this year. But we’ve been able to build on the momentum of last year and take it to the next level.”
It is difficult to get news on this. Any suggest good sites would be appreciated.
Prayers for the Aussies and their homes.
Plus some earthquakes! YIKES!
Melbourne Tremor one of three to hit Australia in one day
THE earth tremor that rocked the centre of Melbourne was one of three quakes that hit Australia in the one day, a seismologist says. Melbourne residents reported buildings shaking across the metropolitan area when a tremor struck at 8.55pm (AEDT) last night.-”it is quite remarkable that we get three of roughly the same size in the one day.”
FYI
Great image. Where’d you get it from?
Poor ozzies.
I was hoping they’d get a break after that fire.
Sad.
Damn, right after the deadliest wildfires too in their country’s history.
Here you go.......http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/sp200918.html
Thanks for the great webbie. The one from Aussiegirl is very good too.
From the forecast data, it sure looks like that this won’t hit the Australian mainland at all. It’s just going to skirt the coast a while as it heads out Southeast. Pity, some of that rain can’t be steered over the Melbourne area.
“Kind of ironic that this is the Biggest Storm to hit Australia in 30 yrs and the GAY PARADE had it’s biggest showing in 31 years...”
You realize that the parade in question was in a different state and almost a thousand miles away? Sydney is in New South Wales and not Queensland, which is the state getting hit by the Cyclone/Hurricane/Typhoon.
Would you like it if something bad happened to you and someone blamed an event in San Francisco for it?
This is Queensland, the fires were in Victoria and New South Wales.
They can’t catch a break can they.
Still, they’ve had enough down there.
Weird to see the storm spinning clockwise in the south rather than counter like we are used to seeing in the north
Yep, the toilets flush backwards as well.
What is really weird, is flushing a toilet near the equator.
It does not spin at all, just straight down.
I think that happens here... that crazy group that goes around to funerals...
at least it goes down!
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