'Monster' Storm Bears Down On Australia

[David Guyatt]

Monster Storm due in Queensland

Batten the hatches Maggie.

10:27am UK, Tuesday February 01, 2011
Ian Woods, Australia correspondent
A large area of northern Australia is preparing for what could be one the of the biggest cyclones ever to hit the country.


Cyclone Yasi approaches the coast of eastern Australia

Cyclone Yasi is 500km wide and bearing down on the state of Queensland, which has already suffered from devastating floods.
The state premier, Anna Bligh, has described it as a "monster, killer storm" and she predicted deadly surges inland.

It is likely to cross the coast sometime late on Wednesday local time - and could hit anywhere along a 400-mile stretch between Cairns and Bowen.

It already is a Category 3 cyclone, and is likely to intensify to a Category 4, with gusts of wind expected to reach 160mph.


Airlines are laying on extra flights to get people out of the area, especially tourists with nowhere else to go.

But the storm is so wide that finding somewhere safe to move to will be difficult for tens of thousands of people.

The holiday resort of Hamilton Island has already been evacuated, and coal terminals in Bowen and Mackay have closed down in another blow to the state's mining industry which has already been disrupted by flooding.

Around 350,000 people live in the region, and they are being urged to make preparations on Tuesday because heavy rain and winds could begin to intensify while the eye of the storm is still a long way north.

Ms Bligh said the threat to life and property was compounded by the possibility it could trigger a tsunami-like storm surge, especially if its landfall coincided with a high tide.

[Magda Hassan]

Yes, it never rains but it pours. The poor farmers in Victoria were surveying their farms under water as far as the eye could see and it was 40 degree Celsius. Now, just to make sure the Queenslanders have had enough here comes another deluge. They've evacuated all the hospitals and nursing homes in the area and advised people to lock up and leave the area but there are not too many places to go to that are not already dealing with the aftermath of the last catastrophe.

Also, I recently received some information about the last flood which explains a lot. It was in the Spanish papers but not in the Australian papers. Firstly I came across this article by the trots.

Australia: Grantham flood survivor threatened with arrest

By Richard Phillips
18 January 2011

Queensland police threatened Grantham service station owner Martin Warburton, 41, with arrest on Thursday if he attempted to speak with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh about the failure of their governments to provide timely and adequate assistance to the flood-ravage community. Warburton, who is chairman of the Grantham relief committee and a former councillor, was told by the local police sergeant he could be arrested and charged for "inciting fear and anger in the community".
Martin Warburton
The threat was issued a day before Gillard and Bligh were scheduled to visit a local evacuation centre and followed warnings to the media by Queensland Flood Recovery Taskforce head, Major-General Mick Slater, that any reportage of community "divisiveness" would hamper the "success" of the recovery operation. These developments further highlight the political reality that the principal concerns of the Flood Recovery Taskforce is not the plight of ordinary people but protecting the state and federal governments and corporate interests.
Grantham, a small town of 370 people in the Lockyer Valley about 100 kilometres west of Brisbane, is regarded as the "epicentre" of flash-flooding that hit Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley communities in south-east Queensland.
The town was devastated by a massive wall of water that swept through the town on January 10, destroying all in its pathhouses, cars and small businesses. More than 30 people have been killed in the Queensland floods. Eighteen of those are from the Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba areas, with 10 people still listed as missing, feared dead. Residents were given no official warnings of the impending disaster but fought heroically to save those caught in the raging torrent.
Grantham and nearby vegetable crops engulfed
Martin Warburton spoke with the World Socialist Web Site yesterday about the police threat and the physical and psychological impact of the flood on the small community. He said Grantham residents were outraged by lack of flood warnings, inadequate support and lack of night-time security in the town following the disaster.
Martin Warburton: I spent a whole day in Gatton [a nearby town] trying to get answers or an ear that would listen to our concerns after the flood wiped us off the map. Admittedly I wasn't dressed for the occasionI had my old clothes on and was ready to go back home and begin cleaning upbut a mongrel dog in a pound would have been treated better. By sundown that afternoon I realised I wasn't getting anywhere.
We'd been locked out of the town, which is now classified as a crime scene, and told there had to be a complete search and recovery through the whole area. We agreed with that but wanted our town secured at night.
People in Grantham have been through the worst experience of their life and the last thing they should be worrying about is whether their possessions would be there when they returned. I'd guarantee if this happened in Anna Bligh's or the prime minister's neighbourhoods there'd be round the clock security.
But it didn't matter what we said they wouldn't listen and the authorities kept falsely accusing us of wanting people taken off search and rescue. I finally reached the mayor and we went to the media. I told the press we'd been diplomatic but we were getting nowhere and they should listen to what we had to say about the lack of support from our governments.
Prime Minister Gillard and Anna Bligh were coming out here on Friday but instead of being able to raise these issues I was told in no uncertain terms by the local police sergeant that if I approached either of them, or made a scene in front of the media, I'd taken away and charged with inciting fear and anger in the community. I have witnessesthe local mayor Steve Jones heard it.
Richard Phillips: What was your reaction?
MW: I was shocked and tried explaining the situation to the local sergeant. You'd think there'd be a bit of compassion or sensitivity, but he wasn't interested. I don't know whether he was being directed or where his orders came from but he made it quite clear that theythe politiciansdidn't want any bad press.
In the last few days things have changed and the government and private individuals have started to give us some real assistance, which we really appreciate. But why did it take five days, including two days of smacking our heads up against the wall, before someone started to listen to us. None of this would have happened if we hadn't raised our voices.
I can understand some things take time but why so long? There are children that saw their own family members and neighbours die. Why did the government wait five days to get counsellors to those kids? It's wrong. And the evacuation centres in this areathey were set up by ordinary people, not the government. Without this community spirit we would have had nothing.
RP: Could anything have been done to prevent the flash-flooding?
WM: I don't think so, but we should have been alerted. The Toowoomba flooding happened an hour before it hit us and yet we weren't warned. Why not, don't the powers that be know that water flows down hill?
Grantham main street flooded
I started getting phone calls from friends and relatives about the wall of water and to get out of town. They told me about water levels at bridges that didn't seem possible but I knew they wouldn't lie to me and so I had time to run down the street telling people to get out.
The wall of water didn't come along the creek but rushed down the main road and it was at least six metres high. If we'd been warned much earlier the death toll wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad as it is.
RP: Has there been any discussion about rebuilding?
MW: We don't know where we are with that yet because some people don't even know whether their homes are still standing, and some say they won't be coming back.
Our concerns were not directed against the foot soldiers on the ground or the two police officers at each end of the town but against those higher up, the bureaucrats and powers-that-be who left us for dead.
We're determined to get our community back on its feet again, but why did it take two days of us banging our heads against the wall and being threatened with arrest by the authorities for things to finally start happen?
RP: And the psychological impact of the disaster?
MW: This has scarred me for life. There's no doubt in my mind that once things settle down I'm going to need an awful lot of help to deal with the things I've seen. I'm not blowing wind up my own skirt but I'm a pretty tough sort of fellow and this is something I'll never forget. Hopefully I'll learn to manage these issues.
I know people living on the hill in Grantham who are going to need counselling and other assistance. Their homes weren't directly affected by the water but they saw all the devastation unfold. Many of them were on the railway bridge trying to save people from the roofs of their cars and then unfortunately saw them being swept away, never to be seen again.
Martin Warburton appealed for assistance and support for his town. He can be phoned on 0409486334 or emailed at marnellfuels@westnet.com.au.

I found the above to be rather odd when I first read it , the threat to arrest etc. Later I heard what seems to have happened and is not being mentioned in public is that the dam upstream had a controlled release of some water but was unable to close the gates and this is what lead to the inland tsunami in the Lockyer Valley and Toowoombah region. At least 20 people were killed and still others missing. So, if this is the case, it looks like a huge cover up. Locals were locked out of the area while the military and police searched for survivors. I also found that very odd. The state and federal government do not want any liabilities for the multi billions of dollars worth of damage to property and the loss of lives and livelihoods that occurred in just this one area affected. Not a thing in the local papaers. They want the good will of others who are donating their money and skills to help these now homeless people and also want to levy everyone to make repairs to the infrastructure but if I understand correctly this includes private infrastructure not just public which many are unhappy with. Business is not being required to pay anything.