Flooding in Australia

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Can sharks survive in muddy filthy fresh water runoff ? I wouldn't think so.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpos...6&postcount=29

[MacDaddy77]

If I could I would post the video of our Bull Shark dive in Mexico. There were 9 bull sharks at one time and 2 of them were pregnant. It was cool until it came time to surface.

It was pretty nerve racking seeing those sharks circle underneath you

[FusionX]

Hey guys,

What a way to start off living in a new country! So I was able to self-evacuate with my roommate because they had friends with a car, but it wasn't easy as most access points into where I lived was cut off. We eventually had to walk about 30min, climb over a centre median which was only possible cause the highway that it was on was closed due to the flooding, get picked up and then leave byway of the only bridge left open. So I got safely out but since I've been helping some friends of friends clean up their places after this disaster, I've been able to see just how damaging it really was. I feel for folks who lost basically everything... and then to hear stories of families torn apart due to this, not cool. I'll try to post some more pics I took along the way but since I didn't stay in my apartment, I don't have any peak water level pics, but it really is more of the same except with just more water.

[FusionX]

Here are some pics I took mostly on the morning before we self-evacuated, so that would be Wed morning/afternoon. Keeping in mind that these shots were taken almost a day before the actually peak of the flood waters was expected and it shows just how bad it really was...


Same footpath as in my other shot earlier, but the next morning.


Same shelter on the bike path as before, but the next morning.


Same shelter a few hours later


Coronation drive (busy busy road linking suburbs to city centre) flooded and blocked off


Coronation drive completely empty of cars due to road blocks


Some dude's boat floating away on a personal dock (I think)


Same footpath but the sign has been moved higher as the lower steps are completely flooded (few hours later)


Restaurant on the river that is completely flooded (heard it's super expensive to eat there)


Some lower-laying side street flooded (all the garbage and mud is making cleanup a mess)


My area was basically a ghost town cause of blockages and people evacuating


When people are canoeing on streets, it's a bad sign


Major interchange/intersection point completely flooded


Same location, different angle

Edit: Ugh, looks like I used the wrong tags... I'm too tired now but I might change them in the morning. Either way, I hope this sort of gives people an insight into the situation here. I might have some pics of the aftermath later, but not at this moment.

[Skate around the circle]

^^ Ah so this is why they call Australia the land down under, suddenly a Canadian winter does not seem so bad when all you have to do is wear an extra sweater.

[killer_carlson]

wow. I've backpacked through these areas a couple of times and that is CRAZY. There is going to be years of re-builds after this.

[Mad Mel]

Glad you're ok and you got your stuff to a safe place, FusionX. Would have sucked to start your life here with none of your possessions.

I can't believe Oxley's (the restaurant on the river) stayed put. It's on pilings right out in the river, there's no foundation of any kind. It's a bit expensive, but not much better than average food. Lure at Coro across the street is a better seafood place.

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by Skate around the circle

^^ Ah so this is why they call Australia the land down under, suddenly a Canadian winter does not seem so bad when all you have to do is wear an extra sweater.

Yeah, I'll still take a brief natural disaster every few decades over a six-month natural disaster every year.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by Mad Mel

Yeah, I'll still take a brief natural disaster every few decades over a six-month natural disaster every year.

As someone who is moving from Calgary to Brisbane in the next two weeks I agree.

Was in Edmonton on the weekend and there was 4ft of snow on the sides of the road and it was -32C. Couldn't leave the house comfortably and traffic was at a standstill. Anywhere else on Earth conditions like that would be a catastrophy.

[flylock shox]

Has anybody been around Robina and Surfer's Paradise? I'd have thought, with all the canals, that area would be badly submerged right now.

When I was there back in 2005, there were all sorts of stories about bull sharks in the canals, so I'd guess they'd be having free reign of it right now. Apparently these things can travel hundreds of kilometers inland in fresh water, in at least one case making it as far as Illinois IIRC.

Anyways, the threat they pose is minor compared to the rest of this disaster. What a mess.

[Mad Mel]

flylock shox, I'm not sure, I haven't heard much. I think they may be ok, because if the Nerang River were flooding, it probably would have been on the news. Not to mention, those canalside homes are pretty expensive, and flooded multimillion dollar houses get airtime. You're right about bull sharks in the canals, they're a no-go zone for swimming. The sharks didn't get this guy:


Rutuu, get ready for system shock. It'll be between 60° and 65° C warmer than those Edmonchuk temps when you arrive, and humid as hell (if hell were a tropical paradise). We're getting quite the CP outpost community in Brissy.

[Mad Mel]

Holy crap, another one.

NearMap is some kickass imagery.

[Skate around the circle]

Originally Posted by Mad Mel

Yeah, I'll still take a brief natural disaster every few decades over a six-month natural disaster every year.

Your brief disaster is going to cost $10 billion according to the news reports I have been reading.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Mad Mel

Holy crap, another one.

NearMap is some kickass imagery.

That cow took a crap on the roof, awesome.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by Skate around the circle

Your brief disaster is going to cost $10 billion according to the news reports I have been reading.

Since local taxes won't go up as a result (Federal Relief Fund pays), you have to look at the $10billion as a facelift to the community, as morbid as that sounds.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

Since local taxes won't go up as a result (Federal Relief Fund pays), you have to look at the $10billion as a facelift to the community, as morbid as that sounds.

But those taxes are going to be lost to all of Australia. That money could have gone to something far more productive than a facelift if not for the floods.

[GreenLantern]

Parts of Australia received double our annual rainfall here in the Prairies in 24 hours..

That is pretty significant.

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by Skate around the circle

Your brief disaster is going to cost $10 billion according to the news reports I have been reading.

So it's kinda like the gun registry unnatural disaster.

Yeah, it'll be costly, no doubt. My remark was a bit tongue-in-cheek, I'm not detracting from how significant this flood was.

Anyway, gotta go to work on my motorcycle, same as every day.

[Mad Mel]

College's Crossing, a park near my house, the river crossing there is finally opened up. I took some photos.





The sign survived. Not much else did.

[T@T]

That is insane man