Rain,Rain, Rain and more Rain

[Willborne]

Please make it stop.

 

Though I might get some Navs in between Xmas and New Year before I go back to work. The window of opportunity is slipping through my hands. Flooding at Gympie and Lismore, joy, oh joy.

 

It could be worse (not).

 

Willborne

 

 

[dazza 38]

Just absolutely hammered on the gold coast 10 minutes ago,apart from that its just raining all the time.

 

 

[rdarby]

Its now bucketing onto Redcliffe, makes a change from the steady rain over the last three days! What's the point of me taking leave if I can't fly? Just got the certificate a week ago and really need to practice, I'm afraid I'll forget how! Hoping it will be dry in the morning for a bit at least. At least it's only my lawn flooding, those North have it bad.

 

 

[Spin]

Amazing how quickly it has retreated - as Dazza said we got smashed for about 15mins earlier, now the radar is almost clear for us. Enough now!

 

Photos are my normal and alternate routes out of the valley - not today.

 

 

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

bit damp here as well with rising water everywhere:sad:

 

 

 

[Spin]

Nasty DD, just been watching the news, bad now and worse to come:sad:

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

lot of water coming down the creeks that hasn't hit town yet...worse still if the rain doesn't ease off and coal trains start running, we will start to get power shedding. Roads are cut to the power stations and they are doing crew changes by FIFO with choppers

 

 

[fly_tornado]

water got into my shed and I needed some way of drying it out: my excuse for firing up the tornado

 

 

[farri]

DD,that`s serious flooding,much worse than what we`re getting up here.

 

I know my sympathy won`t help anyone much but my deepest sympathy goes out to all those farmers who have been flooded out after years and years of drought,also to anyone at all who has been affected by the flooding that`s been occuring.

 

Having been a farmer myself,(untill recently),I can understand and I`m full of admiration for the men and women who are trying to keep this country alive.

 

Frank.

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

we are expecting flood peak at midnight with two evacuation centres being opened in town

 

 

 

 

 

[Mazda]

Dangler is that at Dalby?

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

sure is:censored:

 

 

[David F]

Weather

 

Its rubbish here too. However I am really enjoying the cricket its good to see the Aussies get hammered (for once )

 

dave

 

 

[Guest Wigg]

looks as if the mexians down south have got the better end of the deal weather wise at present. DD you have some seious flooding there by the looks of things.

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Our town (Springsure) is presently cut off from everywhere else but there's no flooding in town (roads closed but no buildings affected). There are choppers coming and going as the next town, Rolleston pop 80 is being evacuated. Husband can't get to work where they are screaming for men to move pumps & equipment to higher ground - there's no airstrip and they were relying on helicopters, but the choppers are all away saving people. Our town airstrips are all on high ground on the edge of towns, and it is dawning on people that they are our lifeline. Now all we have to do is get that concept through to Council bureaucrats who every so often moot the idea of moving the town airstrip "over the river" so the existing strip can be turned into a residential development.

 

On the brighter side it has turned into a great social occasion. Knowing it is going to be weeks before they could get out, farming families (usually mum & kids) have come to town to stay with rellies. There's only one supermarket in town and it closed on Friday evening, not to open again until 8:30am Wed. With so many people coming in they announced they would open (today Tues) at 2pm for 2 hours. The family that ran the shop got there at 9am to find crowds so they put out a sign saying open from Noon, then just could not hold off there were so many people - some needing to get a few weeks provisions because they were going back to the property to be stuck there indefinately and needed to get going ASAP - so they opened at 10am and were doing a roaring trade. People volunteered to stock, serve, help pack & carry (staff in this shop usually pack your goods and then carry out to your car, they will also pick and pack if you provide them with a list - really good country service) and we experienced a queue more than 2 long at the checkout for the first time in the 5 years I have been here. It was a great social occasion. Plenty of planes coming in too with a 1km walk to the shop and any number of volunteers to drive them back up the hill to the strip.

 

The rain stopped overnight with only 15 dry days out of the last 50 but the rivers and creeks are still rising and will do for some time to come. We are so glad we own a plane.

 

Sue

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Just watching it all on '24' news. lots of water. Dalby and areas are having a hard time. Poor farmers. seems they can't get a fair break.

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

flood water dropping

 

We went up again today, this morning the flood was still peaking and about three o'clock this afternoon was on the way down..Sky was full of aircraft. Lot of distraught people understandably wanting to see their destroyed crops. lets hope this is the last of it

 

My son took the pics so I included his self portrait:big_grin:

 

 

 

 

 

[mr badger]

yes this weather is ureal , i have not had a fly for a month , been trying to compleat my solo nav since sept but every saturday has be rat ****, so it looks like it will be wintertime till this lot clears.

 

airfields are sad and lonley places when the weather is bad not a soul about ........

 

my poor old streak shadow will be thinking i have left it for another life no wind under wings for ages .............

 

 

[farri]

I watched the news tonight and the flooding that`s occured up here in the Cairns area has been mere puddles compared to what is occuring down south.

 

Appart from the tragic loss to each individual affected,the total loss to the states and the country will be enormous.

 

And this is just the begining of what could be a very bad wet season.

 

All the very best to everyone, especialy those affected by the flooding.

 

Frank.

 

 

[winsor68]

There have been dozens of airliners making missed approaches and diverting!!! I got home at 3.00am last night. Still.... I just think of the poor ground hogs at the airports in Europe and try to tell myself that I am lucky. Still its hard. Pretty much every turnaround involves getting wet at a regional airport for all staff, passengers and baggage. If you are flying commercial I recommend taking a raincoat in your carry on baggage with a clean set of clothes because you never know where you will end up. Many passengers are even ending there journeys on buses in order to get to an airport that has a window in the weather to enable them to get out. It is pretty crazy but still going smoothly.

 

 

[Spin]

Given that I'm back to work this morning it was no surprise to see a glow out to the east when I got out of bed. Can't win em all I guess, 2.5 days is a pretty reasonable working week.

 

 

[dazza 38]

I was wondering, who pays for the choppers used to evacuate people.Does it come from the State Government or Federal, does it come from a emergency fund ? Just curious. .

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Who pays for helicopters? Depending on the scale of the disaster, the split between the State and Federal funding is from 100%, to 25% State / 75% Federal under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). This is the same fund that covers restoration of Council and Main Roads following widespread rain or flooding. There is a mechanism for declaring a disaster and only then can things be put into place.

 

The local disaster co-ordination centre puts the actions in to place, so a helicopter is not funded unless requested by them. Most of the choppers flying around here are neighbours helping neighbours and not asking anything for it. One of our chopper boys had an accident a few months back, then his house burnt down and the community rallied to help on both occasions. Now he is giving back. Fellow pilot flew someone to Emerald to catch the commercial flight so he would not miss his overseas connection. Would not take a brass razoo for it. Its the way the bush works.

 

Sue

 

 

[dazza 38]

Hi Sue.The reason I asked was because they where operating straight away, with in minutes or hours of the pending disaster.Thanks for the heads up.

 

 

[winsor68]

I have been seeing SES emergency kits arriving in Mackay for practically the last month... ever since the first prediction of heavy rain. It seems that the response to the threat of flooding this year has been improved from years past.

 

My mind boggles at the expense of this weather to government and industry...