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
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