Kath, we have been watching/hearing about these terrible floods with every news bulletin. We have acquaintances who live about 30 miles inland from Brisbane and are wondering if they are safe.
You mentioned before Christmas that the weather in Adelaide had become unseasonably cold. Is it back to ''normal' yet?

Vee, your friends may well have evacuated - the floods are due in Brisbane on Thursday.
Our weather is much more normal now, although we have been cloudy today with the remnants from the east coast weather. We have had only one really hot day, but February is often our hottest month.

Kath, I've also been watching the news on the flooding, but had no idea whatsoever of the enormity of the area affected. Such a disaster! I hope you and yours are safe!

Sheri, I live in Adelaide (at the bottom in the middle) so well away from any problems. My BIL has family in Queensland, but they are all up higher so not in danger. But it is very serious for those in Brisbane.

Folks I live 3/4 way between Sydney and the Victorian border on the south east coast. We are safe here,just days of rain and very humid. It is so distressing to see the devastation happening up north, the worst is yet to come it seems, especially for Brisbane.

I am in Perth, on the West Coast. We are having fires which destroy large areas of natural growth, wild life, people's livelihood, homes and property. The sickening thing is that they are deliberately lit by arsonists.

Kath, thank you for posting the map. My cousin and his family are in New South Wales and I think they are safe - for now, at least. But we think of you all, the news is so bleak.

Dido

Some amazing footage of the power of water - Toowoomba yesterday had flash flooding that has been called 'an inland tsunami'

Here is a link that might be useful: Toowoomba

Kath,
The map overlay gives me a perspective that I really hadn't considered ...as to the comparative size of AU to USA.
Thank you for that visual.

My thoughts and healing prayers go to that wonderful land.

Kath,

So sad to see this happening. The power of water is truly amazing. I'm glad you and the other RPers are safe.

You're right -- most of us probably don't recognize the size of your country. Your graphic definitely put it into perspective.

I hope the rains stop soon.

My morning paper had the "inland tsunami" article and a devastating picture. Glad you all are okay.

I live in a river city, and we have had a few really bad floods, the worst in 1937 when I was a year old and we lived on a farm 100 miles south. There was a lot of property damage but no loss of life in 1997 when the water even rose over a major north-south interstate highway.

I was listening on the radio to a detailed description of the flooding. It sounds awful. I'm so sorry to hear about this.

As for the relative sizes of Australia and the United States, if I ever did not understand the comparison, I certainly understand it now. That is as vivid an image as I have ever seen.

Rosefolly

Astrokath,

Thanks from me too; I knew Australia was a large country, but the graphic you put over the US map made me realize just how large it really is.

I, too, have been watching the news to see what's happening there. I hope it ends soon and no one else is injured or killed.

I need to give credit where it is due - I told my son what I wanted and he whipped it up for me in no time. But I know from talking to people that most don't realise how big our country is, not appreciating that it takes days to drive from one side to the other.

Luckily, the Brisbane River peaked lower than expected. There have been 15 deaths, but there are over 70 missing, and the cleanup is going to be horrible, with all that stinky mud. Australians are grateful for the messages of support from all around the world.

Kath, on watching the news of flooding, now also in Sri Lanka and Rio we notice how you Auusies deal with the loss and horror with so much stoic fortitude. No wailing and wringing of hands and calling on the Almighty; almost the "No worries Mate" attitude we, over here, admire. Good on yer all.

Thanks Vee, although that should be 'good on ya' hahaha!

The link shows the way most of us look at things :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Aussie humour

Vee,

Those in Sri Lanka and Rio (those who have been on the news, anyway) are poor people with probably not a lot of education, no insurance, little hope of good medical care, whose houses are virtually made of cardboard so that one good rush of water and mud collapses them down mountainsides; who have more than a good chance of facing typhoid outbreaks etc. On top of this they have had severe loss of life - of loved ones and friends. Those are many, good enough causes for 'wailing and wringing of hands and calling on the Almighty.' I have already expressed my sympathy with Australians; unfortunately I am not in touch with the Other Side (the wailers and wringers of hands) to express equal feeling for their very great ordeal.

We all react differently, according to temperament, both as individuals and as nations.

Dido

Dido, I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that the suffering of people from what we generally know as 'Third World' populations, are in some way of lesser importance than those from more affluent nations; nothing was further from my mind As you say there are so many who have almost nothing and, through no fault of their own, live through tragedies that most of us could never envisage. I think/hope Kath understood the sentiment I was trying to express.

Dido, I understand and have great sympathy for those living in such terrible conditions, and I didn't take Vee's comments to mean them at all. I think she was just mentioning what is a very Aussie tradition to play down all sorts of things, both the heart breaking and the wonderful. Kind of like the British 'stiff upper lip' and the American optimistic outlook.
Certainly the world seems full of tragedy at the moment - possibly there isn't more than there has been in the past, but we hear about it and see images that bring it closer than ever before.

Vee, Kath,

I think we all feel a great deal about this but we find it difficult to express ourselves. I mean, i know how difficult words are and how they snake away from you just when you need them. Hence, misunderstandings. Real Poets, mainly, get it half right. Nobody gets it all right because we can't enter each other's minds and exchange feelings and ideas which lie beyond words.

'God bless us every one' (Dickens, of course)

Dido

Dido1 -

As per your post about the lost houses in Sri Lanka -- made of flimsy materials, no insurance ... Last night there was a TV report about the floods in South America. Through an interpreter we learned about an old retired man -- "I worked for 30 YEARS to afford to build a big, solid home for myself and to leave to my sons when I die .... Now it is ALL GONE." He was in tears, but he spoke clearly and finished his story w/out totally breaking down ..... until the end when he just turned his head away. It was just awful to think this old man watched 30 years of his life - and his legacy to his sons - virtually go down the drain! He did not have home-owners insurance and - no doubt - probably couldn't afford it. It seemed he was fairly self-possessed considering the emotional pyrotechnics some other people would've put on had they been in his shoes!

So, yes, there's a big difference in LOSS for people in other countries -- and other economic situations, too. If you can afford to recover a loss pretty well, you obviously aren't going to suffer severe emotional anguish as someone who's lost all their worldly goods in one fell swoop and is without any insurance or savings coverage of any kind at all.

Thinking of all the RPers in Australia facing Cyclone Yasi. Praying you will all remain well and safe through the coming days.

Many prayers and good wishes for all those facing these difficult situations and terrible losses.

I don't think there are any RPers living in Queensland, but it is one scary cyclone - Category 5 which is the strongest, with winds up to 300km/hr (186miles/hr). The destruction is expected to be dreadful, as there will also be monster waves and tides along the coast. We are all holding our breath, waiting.
The Cairns hospital has been evacuated, with patients flown to Brisbane by commercial aircraft, Airforce planes and even the government jet.
You can see Cairns on the Far North Queensland coast up above - the cyclone is hitting the coast a bit south of there and moving inland.

Prayers.