Toowoomba
There will come a time for introspection, but for now we watch the tide.
Before dawn broke this morning much of Brisbane’s CBD will have been swamped by a muddy deluge that will scour and scare the city.
But this is a news story like no other in our history because this story is playing out painstakingly live on at least four channels.
Those of us who grew up in Toowoomba always knew two things. Not much ever happens there and it does not flood.
Resting on top of the Great Dividing Range, any rain would run off steeply down the mountain to the east and gently over the Darling Downs to the west.
All that changed just after lunch on Monday, with chilling and terrifying speed. And with deadly consequences. So many lives lost. And so many families heart-broken.
Continue reading "A town changed forever by devastating tragedy" »
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CJ Morgan says:
Yes, a great piece from Ian Royall. I have occasion to visit Toowoomba quite often for business and medical reasons, and I concur with his description of the city. We were last there just a couple of weeks ago, and did some of our Christmas shopping in the area that… Read more »
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Paul says:
@Stephen Putnam “If you had bothered to read the literature on climate change you would understand that severe flooding is one of its predicted results.” Oh dear. This would have to be one of the silliest things I’ve read in a while. Funny about all those floods that happened in… Read more »
Almost as soon as they can speak, humans starting asking “Why?”.
We hate feeling powerless. We hate the not-knowing.
So already there is plenty of speculation about what – or who – is to blame for the Queensland floods, which devastated Toowoomba and are set to wreak havoc in Brisbane.
Continue reading "As the water rises again, the questions begin" »
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George says:
Quote Of The Day From A True Scientist “Among my friends, I do not find much of a consensus. Most of us are sceptical and do not pretend to be experts. My impression is that the “experts” are deluded because they have been studying the details of climate models for… Read more »
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Obob says:
Warmist Garnaut Should Widen His Reading List Some papers Garnaut may not have considered The current “exceptional” climate events are not exceptional; not one. So indeed Garnaut is right: we have seen “nothing yet”, only natural variation. Garnaut still mistakes natural for exceptional. February 10 2011 http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/43878.html Anthony Cox and… Read more »
In 20 years, 25 per cent of the population of Australia will live on a strip of land between Coffs Harbour in NSW and Hervey Bay in central Queensland.
That’s a prediction made by many in both state and local government - including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh a couple of years ago.
The massive growth projections have both excited and worried local and state planners.
Continue reading "Could better planning have helped in Toowoomba?" »
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Feeling for QLDers says:
This sort of rain can clearly be dealt with. Darwin has a rainfall of about a metre and a half, most of it in three months of the year. When we have massive monsoonal storms which often dump a few hundred mm of rain in 1-2 days, we get almost… Read more »
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Where? says:
God has no idea where Rural SA is,alot of serial killers do Read more »
It’s impossible to think of anything but the people of Queensland, particularly Toowoomba today. To understand the strength of the torrent have a look at this amazing video shot by locals.
In just 24 hours an already overwhelming situation has turned catastrophic; nine people have been confirmed dead and a staggering number of people are missing.
The degree of loss and devastation is unfathomable.
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