Great Aussie Floods, signals more Havoc? USA next? - Page 4

Originally posted by: Summer3

My previous article mentioned that scientists expected floodings in the US west coasts.
This sudden snow storm of historic proportions is a new one to me.
Even another major storm hitting Queensland so sion again is pretty sad.

Thing getting worse for Australia

Australia braces for 'worst-ever' cyclone

[quote]CAIRNS: A terrifying cyclone roaring towards Australia strengthened to the most dangerous threat level Wednesday, as officials warned it could be the deadliest storm in generations.

As the winds that heralded Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi's arrival began battering hundreds of kilometres (miles) of Queensland coast, state Premier Anna Bligh told residents it was now too late to escape "the most catastrophic storm to ever hit our coast."

Yasi was upgraded to a category five storm from category four as it menaced the populous east coast, where it was expected to hit around 10pm (1200 GMT) on Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

"This impact is likely to be more life-threatening than any experienced during recent generations," it said in an ominous warning that raised the expected strength of the looming storm.

Yasi, packing a 650-kilometre (400-mile) front and an eye measuring about 35 kilometres across, was on course to slam directly into the area between the tourist hub of Cairns and Cardwell to the south.

Power lines and trees were felled by early gusts, with an offshore weather station at Willis Island clocking 185 kilometres an hour winds before it was destroyed.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Yasi looked like the worst cyclone in Australian history and said the nation was with Queenslanders as they faced "many, many dreadful, frightening hours" waiting for it to strike.

"This is probably the worst cyclone that our nation has ever seen. In the hours of destruction that are coming to them, all of Australia is going to be thinking of them," she said.

Yasi was expected to generate highly destructive winds of more than 280 kilometres per hour, 700 millimetres (27.5 inches) of rain and a storm surge that is threatening to flood towns and tourist resorts.

The epic cyclone, the first category five to hit the area since 1918, was over the Coral Sea about 400 kilometres offshore, but high winds were battering the coast a full 10 hours before its arrival.

Yasi is so enormous that it would almost cover the United States or large parts of Europe, News Ltd newspapers reported.

Locals and tourists were warned to stay where they were and not to risk moving until the storm had passed.

Those remaining in their homes were told to prepare a "safe room" with mattresses, pillows, a radio, food and water supplies to wait out the cyclone.

"The roofs of their houses may lift off but that does not make the structure... any less sound," State Disaster Coordinator Ian Stewart said.

"They get wet but it is far more dangerous to panic and run out of the house than to stay bunkered down."

Thousands of people have already fled the area since Monday and seaside residents were urged to desert their homes ahead of a dangerous storm surge of between 2.3 and seven metres (eight to 23 feet) that was likely to cause major flooding.

Two hospitals in Cairns have been evacuated and shuttered, and their patients were airlifted on military planes to the city of Brisbane.

But airports and ports in Cairns and other cities down the coast were shut to traffic Wednesday as winds picked up strength, while remaining residents battened down in the safest rooms in their homes.

The streets of Cairns, usually bustling with holidaymakers and diving enthusiasts, were eerily deserted. More than 10,000 people were sheltering in 20 evacuation centres across the region, while tens of thousands more were staying with family and friends.

Fearing a massive relief operation, the military was readying supply ships with aircraft landing capability to help with search and rescue once the storm passed. A similar mission was mounted after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

"We have a mild sense of panic. The worst thing is the waiting," government worker Iony Woolaghan told AFP from Townsville, where officials say more than 10,000 homes are at risk of flooding.

The storm's size and power dwarfs Cyclone Tracy, which hit the northern Australian city of Darwin in 1974, killing 71 people and flattening more than 90 percent of its houses.

It will also be twice the size and far stronger than the category four Cyclone Larry that caused Aus$1.5 billion ($1.5 billion) of damage after hitting agricultural areas around Innisfail, just south of Cairns, in 2006.

Forecasters said Yasi could be "horrific" and take 24 hours to weaken after it makes landfall.[/quote]

Originally posted by: chal_phek_mat

Actually the conservatives have been saying there will be an earthquake and California will break away and sink into the Pacific, but their reasoning is slightly different than yours😆

In fact there were several psychic predictions about the world n USA too. Dome mentioned that Australia would be safe n Singapore would be a gonner too. Some mentioned earth overheating. Hope summer this time will not be extremely hot.

Originally posted by: crazy_sunny

Reminds me of the movie 2012

Is this going to be THE END🤓

As Mr Solid mentioned about Queensland it is a double whammy.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to witness the end of the world? Have you ever imagined what the last few hours on earth could be like? The recent blizzard in Chicago was so terrifyingly awe-inspiring, that the people who experienced it, felt like they had been transported into a scene from a movie like 2012 or Armageddon. I've seen many furious monsoons in India, and experienced pretty nasty snowstorms myself in Wisconsin. However, after talking to some folks from Chicago last night – the Lakeshore lockdown was the experience of a lifetime.

 

Imagine driving home from work one evening in the snow. You have done it several times before, this is no different, nothing new. You hold your wheels tight and cautiously drive, navigating through the peak time traffic compounded with sheets of snow. Your speed slows down to 5 miles an hour and you eventually come to a halt behind the car in front of you. It is just another traffic jam, it always happens when it snows like this. But as minutes turn to hours, you seen realize this is different, very different. Inch by inch, the snow is up against your tires, threatening to bury you by dawn.

 

Finally you decide to abandon your vehicle and seek shelter for the night. As soon as you exit, the wind whips you almost sweeping you off your feet. To your east is mighty lake Michigan, churning in turmoil, waves whipping on the shore. Sheets of snow continue to fall from the dark overcast skies, and loud rumbling sounds startle you. Lightning strikes across the horizon, photographing the city coming to a halt. It is thunder snow, one of mother nature's spectacular and furious displays.  Rows of abandoned cars eerily lay still on the road,  as you stagger in the wind to safety. It is almost like experiencing the wrath at the end of the world.

 

You awake to live another day, but the picture is still like that of an end of the world movie.

Yes indeed aptly described Sarina ji.
The end of the world and we prepare for the Grand Finale.
Many things will become insignificant I guess and some will keep on crying.

With so much weather problems everywhere not many noticed the Sri Lankan floods.

So is it time to look for a home on a new planet ?

Originally posted by: crazy_sunny

So is it time to look for a home on a new planet ?

Pointless, man will end up destroying another planet. Anyway there are none nearby.
Gotta plant more trees and recycle our waste, use less plastics etc. Enviromental awareness is needed.