Severe Tropical Cyclone about to hit Queensland

[1gemstone]

Just heard the news on BBC....stay safe, friends! 

[Sheila]

Great pic of one ranger collecting turtle eggs from Mon Repos just north of Bundaberg so they wont be washed away during the cyclone.   Fortunately its near the end of turtle hatching season and most of the eggs have hatched and the babies have swum out to sea. 

 

[niall]

Just heard from a friend (non Witness) who is in the path of Maria. He says they are in the eye at the moment. They had some broken windows and water damage but otherwise fine. He says it is not as bad as they were expecting, but I know from experience that someone a few blocks away can have a totally different experience.

Haven't heard from any Brothers or Sisters yet.

[hatcheckgirl]

And so this means the price of bananas are going to go through the roof again!

No, seriously, this used to be a once a year or so weather phenomenon.  Queenslanders have traditionally built their houses on stilts so the flood damage is lessened, so this is not a new thing.  What is new is the quantity and severity of cyclones that we are having.  And it is affecting not just Nth Qld, but Brisbane and northern NSW more often now.

I'm not affected as I live in Perth.  But it used to be very dry in summer.  We have all noticed the humidity increasing as the cyclones up north (on the west coast of Aust) are moving down the coast more than before.  We can definitely tell that climate change is becoming more obvious in the coastal towns and cities affected by increasing rain depressions and cyclonic weather.  That is until it turns to drought again....

Edited February 20, 2015 by hatcheckgirl

[niall]

Humidity is one of the reasons I left Cairns and moved south.

I laugh when the Brothers here complain about the heat and humidity. I tell them that I used to go door-to-door carrying a towel. We would be soaked with sweat and it would be dripping from our fingers. I would dry my hands with the towel before handling my Bible or any magazines.

Although I wasn't a Witness 25 years ago, I don't remember the humidity in Cairns ever being that bad.

[niall]

Caboolture, an hours drive north of Brisbane.

Oh well, you get your fair share of destructive storms during summer as it is — and without warning.

Stay safe.

[Trina]

We have you in our prayers for sure! Keep us in the know please.

[Sheila]

Cyclone Marcia (which is normally pronounced Mar - see - a, but some in our the media insist on calling it Marsha !!) has been downgraded to a tropical cyclone.   We're experiencing heavy rain, 8 inches in the last 24 hours, but we do get a lull now and again which allows it to drain away a little.   I gather we're expecting a King Tide in around an hour which will cause our local big river to overflow and close the local bridges - we have one biggish river and three streams surrounding us in roughly a square mile which will all flood but we do have  a big shopping centre on higher ground right in the middle, so we be OK.    My daughters house is a mess, the rain worked its way through the roof tiles into her kitchen so they had to punch a hole in the ceiling to drain the water away.  Rotten insurance people told her they were two separate claims, and each has a $2K excess, so much for having insurance eh?   Our favourite elder (she calls him her spiritual father) is keeping a close eye on her and her troubles, so she's feeling Jehovahs warmth and although I can only speak to her by phone, she still has a smile in her voice.

[Sheila]

Cyclone Marcia has moved out to sea and the rain has eased to the odd shower - thank goodness, it appears to be over.   Took my little dog for a much needed walk, and there is still lots of water oozing into the gutters but at least its moving off properties and into the drainage system.   No loss of life as far as I'm aware, but there are bound to be the idiots who will attempt to drive through swollen rivers and streams which will take a couple of days to flow away.    Now the clean-up begins.   We need a nice breeze to blow all the humidity away.  Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts.

 

And yes, Niall, when I first visited Cairns as a witness I was a bit amused at seeing the brothers wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts and no ties.   Another time, after a 3 week holiday in Malaysia and a week in Darwin, I was freezing after disembarking at Cairns airport (we were living in Weipa then).  We're flying up there in May for a week and the weather should be just nice.

[hatcheckgirl]

I went to Cairns for the first time last July.  It was perfect! Just a nice place to go to in the middle of winter.

[CHecker]

Thanks friends for all your talk here. I know it is a bit of a broad conversation now as the storm leaves but I have really enjoyed listening to you talk about where you live. Not in great detail, which can be overwhelming to read through, but in short paragraphs that make me feel like I'm there. I am on the other side of the world and have no idea of the details of living on your side.

It's been enjoyable. Just wanted you to know.