Tsunami warning for east coast of Aus.

[scooter]

Morning.

News is reporting that as a result of an earthquake at the Solomon Islands, reported variously as 7.8 or 8.1 on the Richter scale, there is a tsunami warning out, apparently potentially affecting the entire east coast of Australia.

Cairns is the most vulnerable I think, could be affected not long after 9am this morning, & this will be a guage as to the impact on the coast further down.

Without wanting to sound dramatic, please consider the above, thoughts & prayers are with anyone potentially affected.


Regards................Sean

[HappyHammer]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/tsunami-warning-in-queensland/2007/04/02/1175366110823.html

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/warnings.shtml
:o
HH.

[journeyman Mick]

Expected to hit Cairns at 9.49, but could affect us for up to two hours after this. As some of you may know I'm at the hospital with my wife. The hospital is just across the road from Trinity inlet and thus I'll have a ringside seat from the third floor should we be hit. My ute is only a few hundred metres from the water so it'll go for a swim. I thought about moving it but Cairns is very flat and low lying and I doubt I'd get it moved to higher ground and get back in time. The mobile phone network is overloaded and it's hard to get a line. They've sent all the day patients home and are evacuating the ground floor of the hospital. Some staff are being sent home.

I'm not really worried, but I'd rather be home in Kuranda which is a few hundred metres higher. I might lose ythe ute, which is a bugger because it took me ages to find a single cab, turbo diesel, 4wd, drop side ute. I won't want it after it's been drowned in salty water, even if insurance gets it all repaired. In te4h scheme of things though I won't lose any sleep over it. I've got a Queensland Fire and Rescue two way radio so I'll be able to monitor any developments. I'll let you know what, if anything happens.

Mick

[jmk89]

Mick - looks like you don't need to worry about a tsunami - the latest (http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20003.txt)(9.17) from the BoM indicates that there is probably no wave. But they're still looking for one, in case.

[RufflyRustic]

Whew!!!!!!, You are not on the Esplanade!!!!:2tsup:

As for the ute - I know my timing's way off:rolleyes: - have a look at Mazda's BT50, 4wd, turbo diesel, etc what you listed.


cheers
Wendy

[docusk]

We here in the UK have no conception of what a Tsunami can do. We saw the films of the last huge one that killed so many in the general area but it can't really explain it all. I do hope it comes to nothing and that our good friends in the potentially damaged area are OK. Hope the Ute is fine and dandy!
Best wishes to all,

docusk

[dazzler]

Thanks scooter

Im off to the beach with me board :2tsup:

:wink:

[scooter]

Reports seem to be indicating threat is easing, best to be positive though methinks.

[journeyman Mick]

Emergency services have just stood everyone down, but the hospital management haven't heard yet and are still on standby.

Wendy,
there's plenty of new ones, finding a 2nd hand one, even a clunker, is not so easy and if you want a good one, well I looked for well over a year to find one. Will be wandering down the corridor to look at the inlet every so often for the next coupl,e of hours though.:rolleyes:

Mick

[Bleedin Thumb]

The warning is still current for NSW, the beaches are still closed, I hope it comes to nothing, its a worry though - the kids school is not that far from the beach.

[Bleedin Thumb]

If nothing else this scare has exposed how unprepared we are for this sort of natural (or otherwise) disaster. The politician's better pull their finger out and come up with a working paper on what will happen when there is an impending disaster.

After all their rhetoric about being prepared for terrorist attacks they can't even let the population know that there has been a prediction that there may be a Tsumami.
Imagine if today's event eventuated on the whole Eastern seaboard -how many millions of people could have been killed?

Not good enough John!:(( :((

[silentC]

I'm in the throes of joining up with the SES. There is a documented plan that specifically deals with Tsunamis. The State govt has a State wide one, and then the SES has them at various levels down to local area. The local area one would have things like where to send evacuated people, who is in charge of what, etc etc. I'll find out if it was activated or not.

The thing I wonder about is how people are going to be notified of it. SWMBO has been home all day working on Uni stuff and she didn't know anything about it until I mentioned it. If you don't watch the news or turn on the radio, how are you supposed to know about it?

[dazzler]

Hi bleedin

well it was on the radio, it was on TV, it was on the internet.

They put out warnings to stay away from beaches, leave tidal influenced rivers, boats near shore to return and dock, those out further to head out to deep water. Also to move to Higher ground.All the beaches on the east coast were reportedly closed. That just about covers it doesnt it:?

What else should they do?

Mass evacuations?. Had they tried that today more people would have died as a result of crashes and crushes and then there would have been hell to pay.

I have tried to evacuate people from homes when there has been huge bushfires, smoke and embers falling around them and still many did not want to leave. I think many would stay until the water hit, that is human nature.

Perhaps some general sirens for all communities to switch on the radio to listen to updates maybe.

cheers

dazler

[dazzler]

see here;

http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/content.php/99.html

and here;

http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/content.php/170.html

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hi Daz, those links are all well and good if you know about them. I cant see why there isn't a dedicated TV and radio channel that kicks in when needed to keep us up to date.

That sterile "put you head between your legs" type of message in those links is no good.

And as far as the warnings go today - be on your guard in low lying areas... thats where most of us work and live. The Boxing day Tsunami went more than 5 klm inland in places didn't it?

We need something at least as intense as the cyclone warnings are in the top end. You don't miss those.

[silentC]

Perhaps some general sirens for all communities to switch on the radio to listen to updates maybe.
That's what I was thinking. The first I heard of it was when I saw the post here. By then it was too late (or would have been). People usually know that a bushfire is coming because the smoke and ash is a dead give away. A huge wave you wouldn't know about until it knocked open your front door and swept you out the back one.

[silentC]

BTW Stuart Diver, who now lives locally, is trying to set up an SMS service to warn people - but you have to subscribe to it, it's not a general public broadcast.

If there had been a 10 metre wave here this morning, there would have been mayhem. Most of Merimbula's CBD is about 2 metres above sea level and the van park down at the beach is just behind the dunes. It would be gone now. The same story is repeated up and down the coast.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Imagine a 10m wave going through the heads and going into Sydney Harbour.
You wanted water views.....view this!
Its easy to joke about- but on a serious note it could have happened and the response by the government was not up to speed.

[silentC]

Imagine a 10m wave going through the heads and going into Sydney Harbour
It would be an awesome sight though!

[Bleedin Thumb]

It would look like one of those disaster movies from the 70's.
Starring...

Morris Lemma as the clueless politician
Clover Moore as the demanding major
Frank Costa as the bumbling police chief....

with a special guest appearance from Charlton Heston as the gun toten corpse.

[Cliff Rogers]

Emergency services have just stood everyone down, but the hospital management haven't heard yet and are still on standby....
I spend most of the day in a roof in Malanda so it wasn't going to get me....
Wiring, not hiding. :D
Apparently the range roads were blocked by people rushing to get out of Cairns.

[journeyman Mick]

Apparently there were traffic jams going up the Kuranda range and more than 4oo cars up Lake Morris road. The inlaws couldn't catch the bus down from Kuranda because they couldn't get near it, Kuranda was absolutley packed. Apparently there were cars parked on lawns and all the coffee shops etc ran out of stuff.

Mick

[womble]

Apparently there were traffic jams going up the Kuranda range and more than 4oo cars up Lake Morris road. The inlaws couldn't catch the bus down from Kuranda because they couldn't get near it, Kuranda was absolutley packed. Apparently there were cars parked on lawns and all the coffee shops etc ran out of stuff.

Mick

they would have loved that considering how crappy business has been since the kuranda railway has closed

[Bleedin Thumb]

They've closed the railway? I hope its just whilst repairs are done.

[namtrak]

Evacuation is always going to be a drama for Cairns. Particularly since there are so many transient people there, who may not be so aware of high ground etc.

I heard on the box that the SES people were really peeved off with one of the radio stations creating hysteria (John McKenzie's station I assume) and as always were happy with the balanced reporting of the local ABC.

As for us, we were worried. I got the kids and dog and put them on top of the car for safe keeping, and made sure the fridge was full of coldies. Nothing happened though.

36.03S 146.56E

:D :D

[Bleedin Thumb]

I got the kids and dog and put them on top of the car for safe keeping, and made sure the fridge was full of coldies.


You obviously have a well thought out disaster plan. Something that I would recommend to everyone.

People should never underestimate the amount of beer that may be required in these circumstance.



PS Just heard that they will be conducting Tsunami awareness classes at one of the local pubs in Albury this Friday night. See everyone there:2tsup:

[journeyman Mick]

The railway has been closed for some time for repairs after a landslide and is not expected to reopen for two months at least.

There definitely needs to be a better management plan for a Tsunami threat. Apparently schools and childcare centres were contacting parents to pick up their kids. Some of the nurses had to leave the hospital about half an hour before the wave was meant to hit. Not good if you have emergency services and hospital personnel being pulled away from their jobs. Better that people are at work, home or school rather than driving around if a wave hits. I can only imagine the traffic chaos as all these parents left work and picked their kids up. I believe that they need to have an evacution plan in place, especially for schools. If the evacuation order is given they take the kids in buses without calling the parents and causing more of a traffic snarl. If it's decided that there will be no evacuation and they will ride it out then obviously the schools need to keep the kids where they are. School buildings are built to a higher structural standard than most houses and very few houses in Cairns are on high ground anyway.

One of the many reasons I'm glad I live up the hill!:)

Mick

[HappyHammer]

A couple of guys up here went fishing last night and noticed the tide in the river was about two feet higher than usual. No big waves but our tides are usually quite consistent...

HH.

[TassieKiwi]

Indeed. I lived at the top end of Digger St, which happens to be one of the highest points at a huge 2.3m above high tide. Trouble is, if you look at the contour maps every route away from Cairns dips to damn near sea level. My plan was to p.o. to the tablelands loooong before the cat. 5 arrived. No-one was worried about tsunamis in 1998.

[namtrak]

......Just heard that they will be conducting Tsunami awareness classes at one of the local pubs in Albury this Friday night.......

Yes the place will be awash with concerned citizens.

Mick your right. If the punters knew that their kids were taken care of, then there would be a lot less panic on the roads. Deal with the kids first and everything else will flow from there. So to speak.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Yes the place will be awash with concerned citizens.
.



They'lle be spilling onto the streets!

[namtrak]

They'll be spilling onto the streets!

Not until I finished my Surf 'n Turf :-

[Cliff Rogers]

.... If the evacuation order is given they take the kids in buses without calling the parents and causing more of a traffic snarl. ....
The problem with that plan is that there aren't enought buses.

[journeyman Mick]

The problem with that plan is that there aren't enought buses.

Okay, it would suprise me anyway if they could actually evacuate all the schools, let alone the city area, in time. I reckon if they started evaccing there would be mass hysteria, carnage on the roads and gridlock. Unless there is some sort of organised, workable evacuation plan it would be better for most people to stay put. Better to be in a building than running or driving around like a mad chook, looking for a higher perch that isn't there.

Mick

[Groggy]

Calling parents to come and get them? IIRC a tsunami travels at up to 1000 kph and is not guaranteed to start in a distant part of the globe. It sounds to me like a lot of people would get in a traffic snarl and have to run for it. Calling parents will just create the traffic jam at the schools at the worst possible time and assumes they will have adequate warning.

If the plan doesn't work for all the kids then forget it. Divert all buses to schools and have police divert all other traffic away, using any means necessary to do so.

[Cliff Rogers]

They had 3 hours notice I no plan in place. :(

There was another one today about 6 point something, they didn't issue a warning today. :rolleyes: