Cyclone Ellie has pummeled Australia and Queensland is being devastated as we speak. Downpours of rain have flooded an area the size of Germany and France COMBINED, leaving behind an inland sea the size of Germany. It started to recede the other day, draining 100,000 Olympic sized pools A DAY. However, rains came in again that poured an additional 6 inches falling within one half hour. 11,000 homes have been inundated and evacuated with another 6,000 being evacuated today.
The Great Barrier Reef is in direct peril as authorities say that the toxins unleashed by the flood are pouring right into it, killing off whole parts of the reef as well as dozens of schools of fish and other marine life. Eleven people were killed this week alone. This is a natural disaster of epic, tragic proportions.
Officials are calling what happened yesterday "an instant tsunami."
From AP: BRISBANE, Australia — Military helicopters searched Tuesday for scores of people missing after a tsunami-like wall of water ripped through an Australian valley, tossing cars like toys in the deadliest episode of a weekslong flood crisis. Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley, and thousands were being evacuated. In one small community in the path of the floodwaters, Forest Hill, the entire population of about 300 was being airlifted to safety in military helicopters. Queensland has been in the grip of its worst flooding for more than two weeks, after tropical downpours across a vast area of the state covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Entire towns have been swamped, more than 200,000 people affected, and coal and farming industries virtually shut down.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our Australian friends as we usually turn our thoughts to the Australian Open this time of year, set to begin on Jan. 19th. This is such a bummer we cannot even believe it. The Aussie Open is one of our favorite events every year and we so look forward to it.
The only benefit we can think of is that as soon as TV coverage begins later this week, that people everywhere will see the devastation and help out somehow.
The people of Australia have shown time and again how friendly, open and just how cool they are. They could really use our help right now.
The Great Barrier Reef is in direct peril as authorities say that the toxins unleashed by the flood are pouring right into it, killing off whole parts of the reef as well as dozens of schools of fish and other marine life. Eleven people were killed this week alone. This is a natural disaster of epic, tragic proportions.
Officials are calling what happened yesterday "an instant tsunami."
From AP: BRISBANE, Australia — Military helicopters searched Tuesday for scores of people missing after a tsunami-like wall of water ripped through an Australian valley, tossing cars like toys in the deadliest episode of a weekslong flood crisis. Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley, and thousands were being evacuated. In one small community in the path of the floodwaters, Forest Hill, the entire population of about 300 was being airlifted to safety in military helicopters. Queensland has been in the grip of its worst flooding for more than two weeks, after tropical downpours across a vast area of the state covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Entire towns have been swamped, more than 200,000 people affected, and coal and farming industries virtually shut down.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our Australian friends as we usually turn our thoughts to the Australian Open this time of year, set to begin on Jan. 19th. This is such a bummer we cannot even believe it. The Aussie Open is one of our favorite events every year and we so look forward to it.
The only benefit we can think of is that as soon as TV coverage begins later this week, that people everywhere will see the devastation and help out somehow.
The people of Australia have shown time and again how friendly, open and just how cool they are. They could really use our help right now.
Tennis super-stars pledge help to flood victims.
Read all about it here:
WOW!! That is really some scary shit!!!
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