Australia Natural Disasters

The city in Australia most remembered for the devastating effects after a cyclone hit is Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. On Christmas Day 1974, Cyclone Tracy hit the city, demolishing two-thirds of the houses and businesses there. As a consequence, many changes were made regarding building codes in cyclone-prone areas, resulting in much higher quality buildings that can better withstand future cyclones.

The Queensland floods in 2010-2011 caused extensive damage to infrastructure, homes, and farmland. It resulted in the loss of lives, including local residents and emergency service personnel. The economic impact was significant, with billions of dollars needed for recovery efforts and rebuilding.

To rebuild from cyclone damage, start by assessing the extent of the damage and prioritizing safety measures. Seek assistance from local authorities and relief organizations for resources and support. Develop a clear rebuilding plan with proper permits and skilled professionals to ensure a safe and resilient reconstruction process.

There have been several instances of massive bushfires in Victoria.

Most Victorian bushfires occur in the Dandenong Ranges which lie to the north and northwest of Melbourne, but they have also been known to occur in western Victoria and near regional centres such as Bendigo.

In the devastating 'Black Saturday' bushfires in 2009, various towns affected included (among others) Beechworth, Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Murrindindi, Horsham (western Victoria) and Bendigo.

Cyclone Selma hit Darwin in 1975. It caused extensive damage, including flooding and destruction of infrastructure, but its impact was overshadowed by Cyclone Tracy which struck later in the same year.

Tens of thousands of animals died in the Victorian bushfire. Many or most are small, non-flying animals that could not escape the flames. Insect and arachnid populations probably took the worst hit. When wildlife biologists try to run numbers on something like this, they're usually using pre-fire populations as a springboard to make calculations. No "exact" figures exist, as anyone who thinks about the issue will see. Only estimates of population mortality are all that will ever appear.

The severity of a burn is typically measured by the depth of the burn, which can be classified as first-degree, second-degree, or third-degree. First-degree burns affect the outer layer of skin, second-degree burns affect both the outer and underlying layer, and third-degree burns extend deeper into the tissues. Additionally, the extent of the burn, location on the body, and any associated symptoms can also be used to assess severity.

Cyclones in Australia most commonly impact the northern regions of the country, particularly the northern coast of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland. These areas are more prone to cyclones due to their proximity to warm ocean waters that provide the energy needed for cyclone formation.

In February 2011, there were several bushfires in the Perth area. The one which began in Roleystone was believed to have been started accidentally by flying sparks when someone was using a grinder. The fire which originated near Brigadoon, northeast of Perth, was started when strong winds blew down a tree branch, which then fell onto power lines.

It's a matter of where the Brisbane River flows.

The Brisbane floods were largely a result of the massive amounts of water that had to be released from Wivenhoe Dam into the Brisbane River. The Brisbane River does not flow anywhere near the Gold Coast, but empties into the sea at Moreton Bay.

Cyclone Larry was a Category 5 tropical cyclone, which made landfall in Australia on March 20, 2006. It had wind gusts estimated to be reaching up to 290 km/h (180 mph) and caused significant damage in the areas it impacted.

The name Larry was given to the cyclone by the Fiji Meteorological Service. In the South Pacific region, cyclones are named by designated meteorological authorities. The name Larry was chosen from a list of pre-determined names for the season.

There have been no cyclones reported in Brisbane, capital of Queensland, Australia. Brisbane can be affected by cyclones which occur further north, but no cyclone has ever directly hit Brisbane.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is positioned on a flood prone area of Fig Tree Pocket, one of the worst affected suburbs. Fortunately, the sanctuary has some high points, so many areas of Lone Pine survived the flood.

Whilst there was initially no news available about Lone Pine, its website (see related link) was operating again from 16 January, and photographs indicated there had been some flood damage. In the end, about 120 koalas had to be moved to higher ground, along with many other native animals. Apparently, not a single animal was lost, but there was extensive damage to the animal enclosures.

Toowoomba's flood was most unusual, as the city sits at the top of the Great Dividing Range, at an elevation of 700m.

On Monday 10 January 2011, within a 40 minute period, 150 mm of rain bucketed down on the city. This was on top of rain falling for several days beforehand, making the ground waterlogged. In fact, the ground was already sodden after weeks of heavy rain, the result of a La Nina weather pattern, which brought more rain than usual to Toowoomba in the preceding months. The rainfall recorded in September 2010 made it Australia's wettest month in 110 years.

The ground could not hold any more water, and the water began to accumulate at the quarry at the top of the range. Rocks and soil on the escarpment began to give way, and the water rushed in a torrent down the range, a 7m high inland "tsunami" that hit the valley below.

In addition, there was another torrent that rushed through the city itself, swamping the CBD completely and carrying cars away in its force. There are two main valleys running through Toowoomba, and these were overflowing as stormwater drains and creeks couldn't cope with the sudden torrent of rain. This water overflowed with the torrents from East Creek and West Creek, meeting at Gowrie Creek, creating the flooding in Toowoomba.

As of now, authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage and the number of missing persons in the Australian floods. Information regarding missing individuals is continuously updated, so it is important to follow official announcements for the most accurate data.

The main reason why the 2010-2011 floods happened in Australia is, quite simply, because of the unusual amount of rain.

Australia spends many years in drought, often caused by the El Niño effect. When an El Niño occurs, changes in sea surface temperatures cause a shift in air pressure which, in turn, can result in climatic anomalies, such as severe droughts in Australia. These years are punctuated by years of normal rainfall, but occasionally, Australia gets the opposite to an El Niño, which is La Niña. This means that weather conditions, etc, are in reverse to those seen during El Niño, and Australia experiences far more rain than usual.

Australia had been coming out of an El Niño for some time, which means that many parts of Australia had seen gradually increasing rainfall. The rainfall recorded in September 2010 made it Australia's wettest month overall in 110 years. Queensland already experienced flooding in early 2009 (at the same time that southern Australia had the terrible Black Saturday bushfires), and higher than normal rainfall in 2010, increasing towards the end of the year. By then, the ground was simply too saturated to hold any more water. Add to that the effects of the cyclone which crossed the north Queensland coast at Christmas time, bringing excessive rainfall to north and central Queensland, and the ground was waterlogged. (A similar pattern led to the Brisbane floods of 1974.)

This cyclone brought large amounts of rainfall right along the coast. Some of the water runoff from the north flowed down through the inland river system; some of the rainfall fell into the catchment areas of coastal rivers further south. The rivers broke their banks more easily, and there was nowhere for the excess water to go.

Rain continued to fall heavily throughout early January. On 10 January 2011, Toowoomba, a city which sits at an elevation of 700m at the top of the Great Dividing Range, received 150 mm of rain within a 40 minute period. The ground could not hold any more water, and the waters from the escarpment at the top of the range rushed in a torrent down the range, creating a wall of water, a 7m high inland "tsunami", that rushed through Lockyer Valley to the catchment areas of the main dam that protects the city of Brisbane from flooding, sending its capacity to 190%. The gates had to be opened, sending the equivalent of two Sydney Harbour's worth of water into the Brisbane River each day. This is largely why Brisbane and Ipswich flooded. An inquiry into the release of water from Wivenhoe is underway.

Many of the river systems further west which were affected by the flooding which had occurred regularly through December and January feed into the Darling River, which then leads to the Murray River. The Darling River catchment, and catchments east of this, received more rainfall than its capacity can take, and as the floodwaters moved downstream, communities in New South Wales, western Victoria and South Australia were affected as well.

Yes, Mitchelton, a suburb in north-west Brisbane, was affected by the major floods that occurred in 1974. The floods caused widespread damage and destruction in various parts of Brisbane, including Mitchelton.

In the 2011 flood in Australia, 22 people died.

Yes, Browns Plains was affected by the floods in Brisbane in 1974. The area experienced significant flooding with many homes and businesses affected. The floods in 1974 were one of the worst in Brisbane's history.

Yes, the 1974 flood in Brisbane did reach Norman Crescent in Norman Park. This area experienced significant flooding during that event.

All suburbs along the Bremer River were affected, as well as low-lying area. These areas included Amberley, Bundamba, the Ripley area (it was not a suburb back then), One Mile, Churchill, Sadliers Crossing, parts of East Ipswich, Basin Pocket, Tivoli, Swanbank and parts of Raceview.

The main reason why the 2010-2011 floods happened in Australia is, quite simply, because of the unusual amount of rain.

Australia spends many years in drought, often caused by the El Niño effect. When an El Niño occurs, changes in sea surface temperatures cause a shift in air pressure which, in turn, can result in climatic anomalies, such as severe droughts in Australia. These years are punctuated by years of normal rainfall, but occasionally, Australia gets the opposite to an El Niño, which is La Niña. This means that weather conditions, etc, are in reverse to those seen during El Niño, and Australia experiences far more rain than usual.

Australia had been coming out of an El Niño for some time, which means that many parts of Australia had seen gradually increasing rainfall. The rainfall recorded in September 2010 made it Australia's wettest month overall in 110 years. Queensland already experienced flooding in early 2009 (at the same time that southern Australia had the terrible Black Saturday bushfires), and higher than normal rainfall in 2010, increasing towards the end of the year. By then, the ground was simply too saturated to hold any more water. Add to that the effects of the cyclone which crossed the north Queensland coast at Christmas time, bringing excessive rainfall to north and central Queensland, and the ground was waterlogged. (A similar pattern led to the Brisbane floods of 1974.)

Radar images show how large the cyclone system was, even though it was only a category one cyclone, the lowest grade. Low wind speeds do not necessarily mean low rainfall, and in this case the cyclone brought large amounts of rainfall right along the coast. Some of the water runoff from the north flowed down through the inland river system; some of the rainfall fell into the catchment areas of coastal rivers further south. The rivers broke their banks more easily, and there was nowhere for the excess water to go.

Rain continued to fall heavily throughout early January. On 10 January 2011, Toowoomba, a city which sits at an elevation of 700m at the top of the Great Dividing Range, received 150 mm of rain within a 40 minute period. The ground could not hold any more water. Water collected along the escarpment at the top of the range and created the wall of water, a 7m high inland "tsunami", that went through the city and down the range. This wall of water rushed through Lockyer Valley to the catchment areas of the main dam that protects the city of Brisbane from flooding, sending its capacity to 190%. The gates had to be opened, sending the equivalent of two Sydney Harbour's worth of water into the Brisbane River each day. This is largely why Brisbane and Ipswich flooded. An inquiry into the release of water from Wivenhoe is underway.

Many of the river systems further west which were affected by the flooding which had occurred regularly through December and January feed into the Darling River, which then leads to the Murray River. The Darling River catchment, and catchments east of this, received more rainfall than its capacity can take, and as the floodwaters moved downstream, communities in New South Wales, western Victoria and South Australia were affected as well.

Before an endarterectomy, the patient will typically undergo preoperative evaluation, which may include blood tests, imaging studies, and discussions with the surgical team to outline the procedure, risks, and benefits. Medications may need to be adjusted, and the patient may be instructed on fasting requirements before the surgery. Additionally, consent forms will be signed, and preoperative instructions will be given to the patient.