Saturday, February 26, 2011
cyclone devastation
This was the CWA meeting place
A line of trees with bark and leaves torn off them
roadside mess
Boats high and dry
clean up begins
Views from the car
Boats high and dry
clean up begins
Views from the car
Mission Beach to Cardwell
Dear Family and Friends
Having left Ravenshoe after saying goodbye to our new friends we pulled into Cairns for a short layover that turned into a five night stay which would have been a six night stay except the Salvos were in dire need of someone to take over the preparation of breakfasts and lunches for the people of Tully Heads, many of whom are sleeping on the floor in their own home or with neighbours or friends that havn't been as badly damaged. There are some who have not had a hot shower since the cyclone hit so portable toilets, showers and laundry buildings are just going up in the community centre grounds where we were set up. Basic sleeping quaters will be next but no kitchens so preparation of food continues to be an ongoing problem.
The whole coast from Mission Beach to Cardwell (we haven't seen or heard what its like below Cardwell) has been severly affected by the cyclone. The eye of the cyclone was some 70klms wide which is why we got it so bad at Ravenshoe but places like Herberton, Atherton and Mareeba didn't.
The fact that we were going south plus we had our own accomodation with us meant that we could fill the gap needed at this time. Three weeks down the track from Yasi hitting land meant that many people are now back at work, children are now back at school so numbers to do the relief work had depleted badly.
We had a hand over on Tuesday and hit the ground running on Wednesday morning. Breakfasts were not hard as it was just a simple breakfast of cereal, toast. fruit,tea and coffee. Numbers were getting less as each day goes by so we only had to cater for 20 give or take a few on each day. Lunch was the main meal of the day for people. The Community Centre had a small kitchen we could use plus we had a large BBQ for cooking the meats. Refrigeration of food was a problem as power was intermitant at best. Thursday we had no power all day so thankfully there was a generator we could use to keep refridgerators going. We had huge eskies full of bottled water as town water is still unsafe to drink. The heat and the humidity was unbearable especially for Ken as he was doing the BBQ. We fed about 80 on Wednesday, about 120 on the Thursday as there was a meeting to keep people up to date on what was happening, and Friday there was about 60 odd.
Friday was the last day The Salvation Army were going to provide meals. The initial disaster phase was now moving into recovery phase and so the local Rotary Club were going to organise locals to keep the meals going if possible each day or if not that often then on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Many are still doing it tough. You hear lots of sad stories, one 80 year old lady said to me that for the first four nights after the cyclone she slept in her car because her two little dogs couldn't stay with her in the emergency centre. Just yesterday one man who had been up at his daughters place at Walkamin came down to Tully Heads for the first time to see what had happened to his house and when he came in he was shell shocked. He'd lost everything. He couldn't think straight, he didn't know what to do or where to go and thankfully someone sent him to the community centre where he could get some help and some guidance.
There are some areas where people have yet to be allowed home. Many homes were built using
asbestos and so no one is allowed into those areas until it has been disposed of properly. This all compounds the problems people are facing and they are enourmous problems. Despite what they have gone through there are those who still have their sense of humour. For example as you drive into Tully Heads someone has got hold of something to make a sign with and on the front lawn the sign reads "Thank you Yasi for landscaping my garden" and another on the main road through Tully read "For sale, A renovator's delight." and yes the house was badly damaged.
The storm suge that occurred all along the coast caused untold damage and there are no words that can describe what happened. As you drive along houses are just shells of their former glory and it didn't matter whether they were someones holiday cottage or someones dream retirement home. Roofs gone, doors gone, windows gone and even internal walls all gone along with every piece of furniture that was in the house. Their is just nothing left and just like a fire a cyclone can be eratic and beside one home that is completly destroyed is another that has minimal damage. There are streets especially those along the water front that have been classified as unsafe and they are cordoned off as a "NO GO" zone. They will all have to be demolished.
The beach tells its own story of how forceful the winds and waves were. The road had been totally covered in sand and bulldozers have scraped it clean so the road is now passable. You can't see a blade of grass where the picnic areas were and the beach is a real mess. Trees are strewn all over the beach and in the water. The trees that are still standing where the grass would have been all have their roots exposed and should another bad storm come through they too will probably fall over. This too is a "NO GO" area
Very few people have been able to salvage anything. One chap found a cross that his deceased mother had given him and his glasses he found in the neighbours yard. You would think he won the lottery.
The boats at Cardell that were all slammed against each other have almost all been lifted high and dry but Oh what a mess they are. This is a very popular retirement area and as you would have seen on TV some of these boats were valued well over a million dollars and others were just tinnies or small runabouts regardless of their value they are all unusable and unsafe.
We knew things would be bad down here we just couldn't imagine the devastation that we have seen. The closer we got to Tully the worse things got untill what we saw was like someone had set off a Napalm bomb. The countryside is without leaf cover on every tree and I mean every tree. Some of the local native trees have been stripped of their bark and all that's left is the tree and bare branches. Trees are snapped in half or simply reefed right out of the ground. Debri is caught high up in the branches as is timber from homes, pieces of tin crumbled like you would a piece of alfoil. When you look at the skyline all you now see are bare trees. How long it will take to regrow no one knows. It is quite eerie driving through this country side.
Having left Ravenshoe after saying goodbye to our new friends we pulled into Cairns for a short layover that turned into a five night stay which would have been a six night stay except the Salvos were in dire need of someone to take over the preparation of breakfasts and lunches for the people of Tully Heads, many of whom are sleeping on the floor in their own home or with neighbours or friends that havn't been as badly damaged. There are some who have not had a hot shower since the cyclone hit so portable toilets, showers and laundry buildings are just going up in the community centre grounds where we were set up. Basic sleeping quaters will be next but no kitchens so preparation of food continues to be an ongoing problem.
The whole coast from Mission Beach to Cardwell (we haven't seen or heard what its like below Cardwell) has been severly affected by the cyclone. The eye of the cyclone was some 70klms wide which is why we got it so bad at Ravenshoe but places like Herberton, Atherton and Mareeba didn't.
The fact that we were going south plus we had our own accomodation with us meant that we could fill the gap needed at this time. Three weeks down the track from Yasi hitting land meant that many people are now back at work, children are now back at school so numbers to do the relief work had depleted badly.
We had a hand over on Tuesday and hit the ground running on Wednesday morning. Breakfasts were not hard as it was just a simple breakfast of cereal, toast. fruit,tea and coffee. Numbers were getting less as each day goes by so we only had to cater for 20 give or take a few on each day. Lunch was the main meal of the day for people. The Community Centre had a small kitchen we could use plus we had a large BBQ for cooking the meats. Refrigeration of food was a problem as power was intermitant at best. Thursday we had no power all day so thankfully there was a generator we could use to keep refridgerators going. We had huge eskies full of bottled water as town water is still unsafe to drink. The heat and the humidity was unbearable especially for Ken as he was doing the BBQ. We fed about 80 on Wednesday, about 120 on the Thursday as there was a meeting to keep people up to date on what was happening, and Friday there was about 60 odd.
Friday was the last day The Salvation Army were going to provide meals. The initial disaster phase was now moving into recovery phase and so the local Rotary Club were going to organise locals to keep the meals going if possible each day or if not that often then on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Many are still doing it tough. You hear lots of sad stories, one 80 year old lady said to me that for the first four nights after the cyclone she slept in her car because her two little dogs couldn't stay with her in the emergency centre. Just yesterday one man who had been up at his daughters place at Walkamin came down to Tully Heads for the first time to see what had happened to his house and when he came in he was shell shocked. He'd lost everything. He couldn't think straight, he didn't know what to do or where to go and thankfully someone sent him to the community centre where he could get some help and some guidance.
There are some areas where people have yet to be allowed home. Many homes were built using
asbestos and so no one is allowed into those areas until it has been disposed of properly. This all compounds the problems people are facing and they are enourmous problems. Despite what they have gone through there are those who still have their sense of humour. For example as you drive into Tully Heads someone has got hold of something to make a sign with and on the front lawn the sign reads "Thank you Yasi for landscaping my garden" and another on the main road through Tully read "For sale, A renovator's delight." and yes the house was badly damaged.
The storm suge that occurred all along the coast caused untold damage and there are no words that can describe what happened. As you drive along houses are just shells of their former glory and it didn't matter whether they were someones holiday cottage or someones dream retirement home. Roofs gone, doors gone, windows gone and even internal walls all gone along with every piece of furniture that was in the house. Their is just nothing left and just like a fire a cyclone can be eratic and beside one home that is completly destroyed is another that has minimal damage. There are streets especially those along the water front that have been classified as unsafe and they are cordoned off as a "NO GO" zone. They will all have to be demolished.
The beach tells its own story of how forceful the winds and waves were. The road had been totally covered in sand and bulldozers have scraped it clean so the road is now passable. You can't see a blade of grass where the picnic areas were and the beach is a real mess. Trees are strewn all over the beach and in the water. The trees that are still standing where the grass would have been all have their roots exposed and should another bad storm come through they too will probably fall over. This too is a "NO GO" area
Very few people have been able to salvage anything. One chap found a cross that his deceased mother had given him and his glasses he found in the neighbours yard. You would think he won the lottery.
The boats at Cardell that were all slammed against each other have almost all been lifted high and dry but Oh what a mess they are. This is a very popular retirement area and as you would have seen on TV some of these boats were valued well over a million dollars and others were just tinnies or small runabouts regardless of their value they are all unusable and unsafe.
We knew things would be bad down here we just couldn't imagine the devastation that we have seen. The closer we got to Tully the worse things got untill what we saw was like someone had set off a Napalm bomb. The countryside is without leaf cover on every tree and I mean every tree. Some of the local native trees have been stripped of their bark and all that's left is the tree and bare branches. Trees are snapped in half or simply reefed right out of the ground. Debri is caught high up in the branches as is timber from homes, pieces of tin crumbled like you would a piece of alfoil. When you look at the skyline all you now see are bare trees. How long it will take to regrow no one knows. It is quite eerie driving through this country side.
Ken's cousin Stan and Connie have been up here going from door to door with aid to people help get through this crisis and last night we brought our van up to where they are staying so we were able to spend a couple of hours chatting to them. It is our intention to head off from here today. We are going to head south and depending on roads and weather conditions we will cross over and head south west to south Australia.
We have travelled south as far as Ayr and Home Hill tonight. We are at the Home Hill Comfort Stop. This is a little unusual as this area runs parallel to the main st and you actually park in the street. There are free hot showers as you cannot use a generator and they are really clean which is nice.
As we have travelled today the further away from the cyclone affected area the less the damage. It is good to see trees with leaves on.
We will add photos later
That's it for now. I will blog again soon.
love to one and all
Ken and Lyn.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Green island
Feeding the fish - they would go from one side of the boat to the other knowing fish food would br thrown in
Green island
Green Island 
The jetty where the boats stay moored
Green Island underwater observatory
Thw jwtty from the opposite direction
This is where most people went snorklingGreen Island
Dear Family and Friends
Wednesday arrived and we were excited about our day trip to Green Island. The bus picked us up just after 8am, collected some other people and took us to the jetty where our boat was waiting our arrival and it was a big boat. It had three levels to it so in peak season it would be packed. I estimated there were around 150 - 200 people on board. Staff said it was a quiet day. Friday and the weekend were going to be busy days again for them.
The weather could not have been nicer. It was warm, even at 9am which was our departure time, but not too hot. The middle deck which was where we chose to sit was air conditioned and thus our journey out to the island was very pleasant. There were complimentary ginger tablets for people to use if they were likely to get sea sick but the water was very calm on the way out and you could hardly feel any movement from side to side. It was only when you crossed over the wake of another boat that you felt any rocking.
On arrival at the Island the boat moored at the jetty for the day and you could go on and off at your leisure. We had booked in to have a semi sub tour and this was due to commense straight away so we remained on the boat. When you boarded the sub you climbed down into the hull of the boat and there were windows on either side where you could view the fish and the coral structure of the reef. The colours on some of the fish were amazing. There were little black and white striped fish which I think the woman said were soldier fish. There were quite large silver fish which later we found that their colour was actually brown and red as they loose their redness when under the water. There were sea turtles along with other unusual and brightly coloured fish. My favorite fish were the parrot fish and like the parrot bird they were a combination of various bright and beautiful colours ranging from greens, purples, blues and yellows and oranges.
The reef itself was not as colourful as I had expected but the variety of corals that we saw in just a very small area was amazing. The reef had been affected by Cyclone Yasi but nothing too bad. The pieces of the reef that had broken off would just settle onto the floor of the ocean and just become part of the reef. The water was also very green partially due to the cyclone and partially due to the level of algae in the water.
From the semi sub we transfered immediately on to the glass bottom boat and once more ventured out to the reef. You got a very different perspective of the reef from this boat. We were able to see giant clams as well as many little ones. It's hard to descibe it as every piece of coral was a different shape, size and colour and the camera shots don't give a true reflection of the colour.
By the time we returned to the boat lunch was served so we headed to the serving area as others headed out to the boats for their turn on the reef. Lunch was a smorgasborg of salads and a curry with white rice. Their was also pineapple and water melon to be had after.
We didn't go into the water at all but we watched as many people went snorkelling. Even close to the shore we could see the fish and coral from the jetty. You could go paragliding if you wanted to and we could see a sea plane coming and going throughout the day.
By 3pm everyone was back on board ready for our hour long journey home. In fact it was close to 5pm by the time we were dropped off at the caravan park.
The day was really lovely in every respect so thanks Dallas for giving us this memorable day in our journey round Aus.
The new fridge has been fitted so it is nice to have it back again.
Whilst we have been here we have had an unexpected chance to catch up with family. Ken's cousin Peter has been up here debreifing officers and people who have been working in and around Tully and Cardwell. He had a little bit of free time and so came to the van to see us. Peter is Bram and Stan's younger step brother and we haven't seen him for close on thirty years. My first thought when I saw him walking to the van was that he could easily be Ken's younger brother rather than a cousin. It was a great couple of hours catching up on family news.
We are also going to see Stan and Connie on Sunday as the army have sent them up to continue working with the people at ground zero. There is still much to be done and the armed forces have now moved out. Stan and Connie have done this sort of emergency work before at the Newcastle Earthquake and the Kempsey Bus Crash and other major incidences. They have also been Chaplins for the police, ambulance and SES volunteers for many years.
That's about it for now.
All our love and God bless
Ken and Lyn.
Wednesday arrived and we were excited about our day trip to Green Island. The bus picked us up just after 8am, collected some other people and took us to the jetty where our boat was waiting our arrival and it was a big boat. It had three levels to it so in peak season it would be packed. I estimated there were around 150 - 200 people on board. Staff said it was a quiet day. Friday and the weekend were going to be busy days again for them.
The weather could not have been nicer. It was warm, even at 9am which was our departure time, but not too hot. The middle deck which was where we chose to sit was air conditioned and thus our journey out to the island was very pleasant. There were complimentary ginger tablets for people to use if they were likely to get sea sick but the water was very calm on the way out and you could hardly feel any movement from side to side. It was only when you crossed over the wake of another boat that you felt any rocking.
On arrival at the Island the boat moored at the jetty for the day and you could go on and off at your leisure. We had booked in to have a semi sub tour and this was due to commense straight away so we remained on the boat. When you boarded the sub you climbed down into the hull of the boat and there were windows on either side where you could view the fish and the coral structure of the reef. The colours on some of the fish were amazing. There were little black and white striped fish which I think the woman said were soldier fish. There were quite large silver fish which later we found that their colour was actually brown and red as they loose their redness when under the water. There were sea turtles along with other unusual and brightly coloured fish. My favorite fish were the parrot fish and like the parrot bird they were a combination of various bright and beautiful colours ranging from greens, purples, blues and yellows and oranges.
The reef itself was not as colourful as I had expected but the variety of corals that we saw in just a very small area was amazing. The reef had been affected by Cyclone Yasi but nothing too bad. The pieces of the reef that had broken off would just settle onto the floor of the ocean and just become part of the reef. The water was also very green partially due to the cyclone and partially due to the level of algae in the water.
From the semi sub we transfered immediately on to the glass bottom boat and once more ventured out to the reef. You got a very different perspective of the reef from this boat. We were able to see giant clams as well as many little ones. It's hard to descibe it as every piece of coral was a different shape, size and colour and the camera shots don't give a true reflection of the colour.
By the time we returned to the boat lunch was served so we headed to the serving area as others headed out to the boats for their turn on the reef. Lunch was a smorgasborg of salads and a curry with white rice. Their was also pineapple and water melon to be had after.
We didn't go into the water at all but we watched as many people went snorkelling. Even close to the shore we could see the fish and coral from the jetty. You could go paragliding if you wanted to and we could see a sea plane coming and going throughout the day.
By 3pm everyone was back on board ready for our hour long journey home. In fact it was close to 5pm by the time we were dropped off at the caravan park.
The day was really lovely in every respect so thanks Dallas for giving us this memorable day in our journey round Aus.
The new fridge has been fitted so it is nice to have it back again.
Whilst we have been here we have had an unexpected chance to catch up with family. Ken's cousin Peter has been up here debreifing officers and people who have been working in and around Tully and Cardwell. He had a little bit of free time and so came to the van to see us. Peter is Bram and Stan's younger step brother and we haven't seen him for close on thirty years. My first thought when I saw him walking to the van was that he could easily be Ken's younger brother rather than a cousin. It was a great couple of hours catching up on family news.
We are also going to see Stan and Connie on Sunday as the army have sent them up to continue working with the people at ground zero. There is still much to be done and the armed forces have now moved out. Stan and Connie have done this sort of emergency work before at the Newcastle Earthquake and the Kempsey Bus Crash and other major incidences. They have also been Chaplins for the police, ambulance and SES volunteers for many years.
That's about it for now.
All our love and God bless
Ken and Lyn.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Farewell to Ravenshoe
Dear Family and Friends.
Yasi has come and gone but its influence still has an impact on bird and animal life. When we first came to Ravenshoe Pauline had 25 -30 Rainbow Lorikeets that would come and feed each day but gradually the numbers dwindled down till there were no more. They seemed to have moved on but since Yasi they have returned. There are no flowers left on any plants anywhere and there food supply has disappeared so they are back looking for food again. This morning before we left we threw out bread for them and there were about 30 again plus the little minor birds have made this their home now also. The kookaburras have grown in number also. We began with just two or three, then we had a couple of young ones that the mother would feed and now there are ten that want to be fed. They are now conditioned to come when we sit out on the verandah and no sooner do we sit down they come flying in and land in the same tree on the same branch and wait. They are well fed Kookaburras between the mince they get from Pauline and the worms and bugs they get from the ground. There are also butcher birds that come in for a feed. They eat the raw mince also and Pauline throws it into the air for them and they catch it mid flight. Just in the last couple of days they have brought two young ones with them so they are also feeding their young ones. The butcher bird has the prettiest song not unlike a canary. It is beautiful to listen too. They perch on the verandah railing and wait for Pauline and if she doesn't get up their chirp gets louder until she goes in for the meat.
Yesterday a couple of maggies arrived with a couple of young ones in tow so the word gets around that there is food available. There are curlews and friar birds that have a bright blue patch on their head and others that I don't know the name of all trying to find food.
The two kangaroos that lay in the sun just past the fence line have returned and the other day a big grey one hopped along and over the road and was gone in just a few moments.
Today we have moved on from Ravenshoe. Just a couple of days before Yasi hit our caravan fridge died. A couple of weeks age we could smell amonia and looking for it's source we found it came from the back of the fridge. The inside was fine but when we sniffed around it was coming through the controls. Ken looked it up on the net and it indicated that we were going to have troubles. The leak disappeared the next day and so we thought it would be OK. It began leaking again and eventually the smell was so bad we knew the fridge had had it and so we pulled it out of the van. We had ordered the new fridge just a couple of days before Yasi. The new fridge is supposed to fit in where the old one has come out but it doesn't. The gas position is different and we could not find a gas fitter in Ravenshoe, Atherton or Mareeba who would do the job so it meant bringing the van to Cairns.
It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. We have made such lovely friends here and will always remember our time here. Peter and Erica had to be in Cairns today and Robin and Pauline came with them for the ride so we all met at the Brother's Club and had our last meal with them and as usual we had a great time before saying another farewell.
We are currently parked in the carpark of the Cairns Salvation Army as we are going to be here for a few days. It is a very busy spot as beside the church they have a family store so there is plenty of activity around the place.
One of the things we are going to do here before we move on down the coast is take a day trip out to Green Island. Dallas gave it to us as a christmas present and we are really looking forward to doing it. Because it's in the off season all we have to do is ring up on the day we want to go and check on numbers. It's unlikely they will be booked out. So, weather permitting we will go in the next few days. We have had a really heavy rainshower here this afternoon but that's nothing unusual. I think it made the humidity worse rather than better.
That's about all our news for now.
Love to one and all and God bless
Ken and Lyn.
Yasi has come and gone but its influence still has an impact on bird and animal life. When we first came to Ravenshoe Pauline had 25 -30 Rainbow Lorikeets that would come and feed each day but gradually the numbers dwindled down till there were no more. They seemed to have moved on but since Yasi they have returned. There are no flowers left on any plants anywhere and there food supply has disappeared so they are back looking for food again. This morning before we left we threw out bread for them and there were about 30 again plus the little minor birds have made this their home now also. The kookaburras have grown in number also. We began with just two or three, then we had a couple of young ones that the mother would feed and now there are ten that want to be fed. They are now conditioned to come when we sit out on the verandah and no sooner do we sit down they come flying in and land in the same tree on the same branch and wait. They are well fed Kookaburras between the mince they get from Pauline and the worms and bugs they get from the ground. There are also butcher birds that come in for a feed. They eat the raw mince also and Pauline throws it into the air for them and they catch it mid flight. Just in the last couple of days they have brought two young ones with them so they are also feeding their young ones. The butcher bird has the prettiest song not unlike a canary. It is beautiful to listen too. They perch on the verandah railing and wait for Pauline and if she doesn't get up their chirp gets louder until she goes in for the meat.
Yesterday a couple of maggies arrived with a couple of young ones in tow so the word gets around that there is food available. There are curlews and friar birds that have a bright blue patch on their head and others that I don't know the name of all trying to find food.
The two kangaroos that lay in the sun just past the fence line have returned and the other day a big grey one hopped along and over the road and was gone in just a few moments.
Today we have moved on from Ravenshoe. Just a couple of days before Yasi hit our caravan fridge died. A couple of weeks age we could smell amonia and looking for it's source we found it came from the back of the fridge. The inside was fine but when we sniffed around it was coming through the controls. Ken looked it up on the net and it indicated that we were going to have troubles. The leak disappeared the next day and so we thought it would be OK. It began leaking again and eventually the smell was so bad we knew the fridge had had it and so we pulled it out of the van. We had ordered the new fridge just a couple of days before Yasi. The new fridge is supposed to fit in where the old one has come out but it doesn't. The gas position is different and we could not find a gas fitter in Ravenshoe, Atherton or Mareeba who would do the job so it meant bringing the van to Cairns.
It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. We have made such lovely friends here and will always remember our time here. Peter and Erica had to be in Cairns today and Robin and Pauline came with them for the ride so we all met at the Brother's Club and had our last meal with them and as usual we had a great time before saying another farewell.
We are currently parked in the carpark of the Cairns Salvation Army as we are going to be here for a few days. It is a very busy spot as beside the church they have a family store so there is plenty of activity around the place.
One of the things we are going to do here before we move on down the coast is take a day trip out to Green Island. Dallas gave it to us as a christmas present and we are really looking forward to doing it. Because it's in the off season all we have to do is ring up on the day we want to go and check on numbers. It's unlikely they will be booked out. So, weather permitting we will go in the next few days. We have had a really heavy rainshower here this afternoon but that's nothing unusual. I think it made the humidity worse rather than better.
That's about all our news for now.
Love to one and all and God bless
Ken and Lyn.
More of Yasi
Looking back toward the American Barn
Pathed area between the house and the Chalet
Looking toward the back fence. The tip of the chalet roof can be seen.
Another bedraggled Kookaburra
The top of the big tree that came down parallel to the house.
Pathed area between the house and the Chalet
Looking toward the back fence. The tip of the chalet roof can be seen.
Another bedraggled Kookaburra
The top of the big tree that came down parallel to the house.
Before and after Yasi
Middle of tree and the roots the tree. The roots were taller than Ken or myself
before and after yasi
Looking down from the verandah after Yasi had hit
Caravan partially under the carport before Yasi
Looking back over the garden from under the carport before Yasi
Picture taken near the caravan
Looking back toward the chalet
Another photo looking toward the chalet
Caravan anchored to the groundMonday, February 7, 2011
Yasi Aftermath
Dear family and Friends
First up we have only had intermitant internet, landline and mobile coverage since the day after Yasi hit. So this blog should give you some idea of what this past week has been like. Usually when we have rain our TV reception breaks up and it isn't worth watching but all through the night of the cyclone we had both phone and TV coverage but it went off some time during the next day. We had a brief phone call with each of the kids and with my Mum and Dad early morning after the cyclone and then one night we had skype briefly and spoke with Dallas also one short call with my brother and then that nothing. we still have no Power and have been told it could be between 3 days and 3 weeks before we get it back on.
On Wed evening we sat outside as always to have our evening meal. Robin prayed that God would watch over us and keep us safe as well as other family members. Robin and Pauline have two of their children living in Townsville so they were concerned for their safety also. The kookaburras sat in the tree and waited for their fresh mince that Pauline feeds them seemingly without a care in the world. Did they know a storm was on its way? They didn't seem to but we did. The overcast sky had started to darken and we could begin to feel the impending storm brewing. It wasn't long before all bird life disappeared and the noises of the early evening were without the sound of birdcall. We wondered how the animal life would weather through the storm. The two kangaroos who stretch out in the sunshine at the bottom of the garden disappeared also. Where to I have no idea.
I have to say I was not afraid but I was beginning to wonder just how bad this cyclone was going to be. We often had windy days when we lived in Tierney St in Bairnsdale that shook the house so how much worse this would be I did not know.
The thought had crossed my mind that maybe one or both of us might not make it through this night as there was no doubt this was going to be bad.
We had decided that rather than stay in the van or in the little Chalet we would spend the night in the house with Robin and Pauline so after tea we came back to the van and did the dishes and gathered the few things we might need during the night like medications, pillows, rug and jacket. Robin said that it often gets quite cold prior to a cyclone and he was right I wore my jacket most of the night. First time I have put a jacket or cardigan on in months. I had my sandles on but he suggested I should get something sturdier to wear as it was possible that windows may be blown inwards and if they did there was less chance of cutting myself if I had a sturdier shoe on. We went inside wondering if the van would even be there in the morning.
We had generators ready for when the power went off which happened around 12.30pm. Channels 7 & 9 went off during the night but the ABC continued all night and so we were able to watch that and get some idea of what was happening elsewhere.
By 8pm the winds were increasing in velocity and Robin estimated they were about 80 -120 klms per hour. The high winds at Tierney St were probably within that range.
I'm not sure whether the cyclone hitting at night was better or worse than the day. The dark made it ominous and forboding which didn't help the rising sense of unease we were all feeling. The house withstood Larry in 2006 with one outside wall being damaged from a limb. Robin and Paulines's house has a very wide verandah on two sides and from time to time in the early part of the night we would venture out to have a little look.
During the night Anna Bligh gave hourly updates untill 11pm on what was happening. After that the ABC was our source of information. Anna Bligh has done a really good job of keeping the public informed both prior to and during the cyclone as well as the floods that happened earlier this month. It would seem some Queenslanders get a bit blaaze about cyclones. She said a number of times that this cyclone was going to be the worst cyclone that Queensland had ever experienced in more than 100 years if not ever so do your preparation early and don't leave it till the last minute.
How do I describe a cyclone? It started off as any storm with rain and wind but no lightening or thunder. The wind increased in its intensity and got stronger and stronger. The rain became horizontal. The trees were our indication of how strong the wind was as they blew from side to side and believe me they blew. There were a couple of trees Robin was worried about. The noise of the wind grew louder and louder untill it roared. It could have been a train roaring past or a jet plane taking off it was that loud. It was relentless all night and when you thought it could get no worse it would gust up even louder. We were just on the outer edge of the eye of the storm as we had about 20 minutes of calm then the wind changed and blew and blew from the oppisite direction. I heard on the radio that it is that wind that does the greatest damage.
We didn't sleep at all during the night but we each went in to have a lay down. We might have dozed for a few minutes but each creek or grown would have you up and on edge wondering what it was and what damage it had incurred.
The full force of the cyclone hit the mainland at Tully, Cardwell and Mission Beach and each of these communities have almost been annhialated as has a couple of the islands off the coast such as Dunk Island. The worst hit areas are those areas south of the eye and we were just above it and thankfully had less damage.
The house, the challet, the caravan and the sheds, one of which housed 2 cars (one of which was ours), 1 aeroplane and a motorhome had no damage whatsoever. The big shed was built to a cyclone 5 rating and it passed the test with flying colours. On the other hand 9 trees came down, one lifting the roots right out of the ground. It was a massive big tree and I would say well over thirty metres high. It fell less than 20ft from the house and thankfully parallel to the house . Had it fell sideways it would have brought the house down with it and probably us with it..
Ken, Robin and Kieren (Robin's brother) Pauline and I have spent the last few days cleaning up outside. The big tree that fell took almost the whole day to saw through it, load it into the trailer and drop it all on the wood heap. Its very large stump is now the only thing remaining on the ground. One tree landed on a fence and they cut it before the weight of the trunk brought the whole fence down. With all the big limbs and the smaller branches we dragged them together and made six bonfires around the 3 acres that we will light in a week or two after they dry out a bit. There is quite a large clump of Bamboo that the guys say was by far the hardest to clean up. The men cut down as many as 20 plus large stems of bamboo of differing heights many up to 6 to 7 metres. Most of the long stems have been put aside as they are useful for building. Some of the smaller pieces have been thrown on to the bonfires. Robin says we need to have a bit of fun when we set light to the bonfires evidently when the bamboo explodes it sounds like a gun going off. The bamboo isn't as dense now as it was and whenever the wind blows up you can hear it creaking and cracking as it sways in the wind. I was very amazed at the number of branches that were speared into the ground. Some as wide as a couple of fingers and some as large as my wrist. they were lodged into the ground as far as 6inches. How incredible the force that would do that.
Next Day - 8th Feb
We are still getting some rain and there are still constant warnings of more damaging rain and high winds. This morning on the radio I heard that Yasi continues its path from the interior QLD and is now down as far as Vic and SA and is heading West. WA have had bushfires with more than 65 homes raised to the ground while in the north of the state they have had heavy rains are experiencing floods. Sydney have had heatwave conditions for over 5 days. Victoria and Melbourne have had heavy rains and flash flooding. We saw on TV the Melbourne trams running with water lapping over the steps.
We drove into Ravenshoe on Friday to get some meat for Pauline and all the way in we were pointing out the various trees that had fallen to the ground. The local golf course was a mess with trees everywhere and one big one had taken out power lines. The SES had already been through and cleared the road of debri. Millstream river which we cross has grown from a small creek to a raging torrent, it and one other tributury was well over the road so we had to backtrack and go a different way. When we did get into town the butcher wasn't open and the supermarket had no meat what so ever other than pet food.
Watching the TV during the night of the cyclone and in the days since has all seemed a bit surreal. It felt like it was and had happened somewhere else. My heart goes out to all those people who suffered the greatest loss. I remind myself that we were a part of it and the intensity for us was probably rated at a category 4, never the less our winds were around the 230 250 klms per hour and it was no picnic.
We didn't have to huddle together in the bathroom and cover ourselves with mattresses, we didn't feel the walls of the house breathing in and out as some did, we didn't have our windows burst from the pressure of the winds or have our roof peeled back on us leaving us open to the elements. We didn't fear for our lives as some did. As some would say we were lucky. Never the less the sense of relief we felt when we realised the worst of it was over was incredible. We laughed and hugged each other and then Ken prayed and thanked God for watching over us and keeping us safe.
Whilst listening to the ABC radio they have asked listeners to call in and tell their story of what the cyclone was like for them. There are those who have said Cyclone Larry was worse than Yasi and some have said Yasi was worse than Larry. It depends on its pattern and where and how it moves. Keiren, Robin's brother said it was no more than a very strong wind at Mareeba. Atherton didn't seem to have been hit hard and Herberton, which lies over a small mountain range had it less sever than us here. So stories and expieriences are diverse in the telling.
Will this be the No. 1 memorable experience of our trip around Australia? Yes, I probably think it will be. I can't think of anything we might go, see or do that can eclipse a catergory 5 cyclone other than the Dinars.
We had no church on Sunday as the officers are down in the worst hit areas helping out and we were all so body weary after the clean up that we agreed a day of rest sounded pretty good.
Life goes on and so will our holiday except we are stranded here a little longer as roads are still blocked or restricted to residents and emergency workers only.
So with that I shall say goodbye for now and God Bless
with love
Ken and Lyn
.
First up we have only had intermitant internet, landline and mobile coverage since the day after Yasi hit. So this blog should give you some idea of what this past week has been like. Usually when we have rain our TV reception breaks up and it isn't worth watching but all through the night of the cyclone we had both phone and TV coverage but it went off some time during the next day. We had a brief phone call with each of the kids and with my Mum and Dad early morning after the cyclone and then one night we had skype briefly and spoke with Dallas also one short call with my brother and then that nothing. we still have no Power and have been told it could be between 3 days and 3 weeks before we get it back on.
The sky dish we have weathered the storm really well. Robin took his off the roof and stored it in th shed but Ken had anchored ours to the ground as we had with everything else and after the storm when we came down to the van the dish had not moved a cm. It was perfect. no adjustment needed at all, not even a little tweek.
The first 36 hours after the cyclone was a bit like waking up from a bad dream and finding it wasn't a dream after all and it really did happen. By 6pm on the night of the cyclone we had done all we could to protect our lives and property.
On Wed evening we sat outside as always to have our evening meal. Robin prayed that God would watch over us and keep us safe as well as other family members. Robin and Pauline have two of their children living in Townsville so they were concerned for their safety also. The kookaburras sat in the tree and waited for their fresh mince that Pauline feeds them seemingly without a care in the world. Did they know a storm was on its way? They didn't seem to but we did. The overcast sky had started to darken and we could begin to feel the impending storm brewing. It wasn't long before all bird life disappeared and the noises of the early evening were without the sound of birdcall. We wondered how the animal life would weather through the storm. The two kangaroos who stretch out in the sunshine at the bottom of the garden disappeared also. Where to I have no idea.
I have to say I was not afraid but I was beginning to wonder just how bad this cyclone was going to be. We often had windy days when we lived in Tierney St in Bairnsdale that shook the house so how much worse this would be I did not know.
The thought had crossed my mind that maybe one or both of us might not make it through this night as there was no doubt this was going to be bad.
We had decided that rather than stay in the van or in the little Chalet we would spend the night in the house with Robin and Pauline so after tea we came back to the van and did the dishes and gathered the few things we might need during the night like medications, pillows, rug and jacket. Robin said that it often gets quite cold prior to a cyclone and he was right I wore my jacket most of the night. First time I have put a jacket or cardigan on in months. I had my sandles on but he suggested I should get something sturdier to wear as it was possible that windows may be blown inwards and if they did there was less chance of cutting myself if I had a sturdier shoe on. We went inside wondering if the van would even be there in the morning.
We had generators ready for when the power went off which happened around 12.30pm. Channels 7 & 9 went off during the night but the ABC continued all night and so we were able to watch that and get some idea of what was happening elsewhere.
By 8pm the winds were increasing in velocity and Robin estimated they were about 80 -120 klms per hour. The high winds at Tierney St were probably within that range.
I'm not sure whether the cyclone hitting at night was better or worse than the day. The dark made it ominous and forboding which didn't help the rising sense of unease we were all feeling. The house withstood Larry in 2006 with one outside wall being damaged from a limb. Robin and Paulines's house has a very wide verandah on two sides and from time to time in the early part of the night we would venture out to have a little look.
During the night Anna Bligh gave hourly updates untill 11pm on what was happening. After that the ABC was our source of information. Anna Bligh has done a really good job of keeping the public informed both prior to and during the cyclone as well as the floods that happened earlier this month. It would seem some Queenslanders get a bit blaaze about cyclones. She said a number of times that this cyclone was going to be the worst cyclone that Queensland had ever experienced in more than 100 years if not ever so do your preparation early and don't leave it till the last minute.
How do I describe a cyclone? It started off as any storm with rain and wind but no lightening or thunder. The wind increased in its intensity and got stronger and stronger. The rain became horizontal. The trees were our indication of how strong the wind was as they blew from side to side and believe me they blew. There were a couple of trees Robin was worried about. The noise of the wind grew louder and louder untill it roared. It could have been a train roaring past or a jet plane taking off it was that loud. It was relentless all night and when you thought it could get no worse it would gust up even louder. We were just on the outer edge of the eye of the storm as we had about 20 minutes of calm then the wind changed and blew and blew from the oppisite direction. I heard on the radio that it is that wind that does the greatest damage.
We didn't sleep at all during the night but we each went in to have a lay down. We might have dozed for a few minutes but each creek or grown would have you up and on edge wondering what it was and what damage it had incurred.
The full force of the cyclone hit the mainland at Tully, Cardwell and Mission Beach and each of these communities have almost been annhialated as has a couple of the islands off the coast such as Dunk Island. The worst hit areas are those areas south of the eye and we were just above it and thankfully had less damage.
The house, the challet, the caravan and the sheds, one of which housed 2 cars (one of which was ours), 1 aeroplane and a motorhome had no damage whatsoever. The big shed was built to a cyclone 5 rating and it passed the test with flying colours. On the other hand 9 trees came down, one lifting the roots right out of the ground. It was a massive big tree and I would say well over thirty metres high. It fell less than 20ft from the house and thankfully parallel to the house . Had it fell sideways it would have brought the house down with it and probably us with it..
Ken, Robin and Kieren (Robin's brother) Pauline and I have spent the last few days cleaning up outside. The big tree that fell took almost the whole day to saw through it, load it into the trailer and drop it all on the wood heap. Its very large stump is now the only thing remaining on the ground. One tree landed on a fence and they cut it before the weight of the trunk brought the whole fence down. With all the big limbs and the smaller branches we dragged them together and made six bonfires around the 3 acres that we will light in a week or two after they dry out a bit. There is quite a large clump of Bamboo that the guys say was by far the hardest to clean up. The men cut down as many as 20 plus large stems of bamboo of differing heights many up to 6 to 7 metres. Most of the long stems have been put aside as they are useful for building. Some of the smaller pieces have been thrown on to the bonfires. Robin says we need to have a bit of fun when we set light to the bonfires evidently when the bamboo explodes it sounds like a gun going off. The bamboo isn't as dense now as it was and whenever the wind blows up you can hear it creaking and cracking as it sways in the wind. I was very amazed at the number of branches that were speared into the ground. Some as wide as a couple of fingers and some as large as my wrist. they were lodged into the ground as far as 6inches. How incredible the force that would do that.
Next Day - 8th Feb
We are still getting some rain and there are still constant warnings of more damaging rain and high winds. This morning on the radio I heard that Yasi continues its path from the interior QLD and is now down as far as Vic and SA and is heading West. WA have had bushfires with more than 65 homes raised to the ground while in the north of the state they have had heavy rains are experiencing floods. Sydney have had heatwave conditions for over 5 days. Victoria and Melbourne have had heavy rains and flash flooding. We saw on TV the Melbourne trams running with water lapping over the steps.
We drove into Ravenshoe on Friday to get some meat for Pauline and all the way in we were pointing out the various trees that had fallen to the ground. The local golf course was a mess with trees everywhere and one big one had taken out power lines. The SES had already been through and cleared the road of debri. Millstream river which we cross has grown from a small creek to a raging torrent, it and one other tributury was well over the road so we had to backtrack and go a different way. When we did get into town the butcher wasn't open and the supermarket had no meat what so ever other than pet food.
Watching the TV during the night of the cyclone and in the days since has all seemed a bit surreal. It felt like it was and had happened somewhere else. My heart goes out to all those people who suffered the greatest loss. I remind myself that we were a part of it and the intensity for us was probably rated at a category 4, never the less our winds were around the 230 250 klms per hour and it was no picnic.
We didn't have to huddle together in the bathroom and cover ourselves with mattresses, we didn't feel the walls of the house breathing in and out as some did, we didn't have our windows burst from the pressure of the winds or have our roof peeled back on us leaving us open to the elements. We didn't fear for our lives as some did. As some would say we were lucky. Never the less the sense of relief we felt when we realised the worst of it was over was incredible. We laughed and hugged each other and then Ken prayed and thanked God for watching over us and keeping us safe.
Whilst listening to the ABC radio they have asked listeners to call in and tell their story of what the cyclone was like for them. There are those who have said Cyclone Larry was worse than Yasi and some have said Yasi was worse than Larry. It depends on its pattern and where and how it moves. Keiren, Robin's brother said it was no more than a very strong wind at Mareeba. Atherton didn't seem to have been hit hard and Herberton, which lies over a small mountain range had it less sever than us here. So stories and expieriences are diverse in the telling.
Will this be the No. 1 memorable experience of our trip around Australia? Yes, I probably think it will be. I can't think of anything we might go, see or do that can eclipse a catergory 5 cyclone other than the Dinars.
We had no church on Sunday as the officers are down in the worst hit areas helping out and we were all so body weary after the clean up that we agreed a day of rest sounded pretty good.
Life goes on and so will our holiday except we are stranded here a little longer as roads are still blocked or restricted to residents and emergency workers only.
So with that I shall say goodbye for now and God Bless
with love
Ken and Lyn
.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
More pics
1. Big crock about to take food
2. Early morning view from our motel room
4. Another view from our room
4. crocodile raising up out of water to get food
5.Crocodile just laying around in the sun in lwater that is just 60cms at its deepest pointMore pics from Tim and Leanne' visit
1. Tim, eyes closed while the snake was put over his shoulders
2. Tim enjoying his minute of fame
3. See the smile on the crocodile
4. Leanne feeding the crocodile
5. Plaque at Walkamin Memorial Park
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