The storms are expected to develop in Victoria’s west on Sunday morning, before moving through central, north central and eastern parts of the state during the day and into Monday.
“As the monster snowpack looms, state water officials have warned farmers to “stay ongoing and prepared for the next several months—all the way through September.”
Over the last week, record rains have again caused flooding in Australia, this time impacting Victoria. Although the disaster was easy to predict, the authorities took few preventative measures, and now residents are expected to bear the costs.
Victoria’s claim to fame in disasters is that it’s the most bushfire-prone region in the world (followed by California and Greece).
Fire risk also comes from climate. Victoria’s temperate climate means dry summers and less rain than its northern counterparts – around 520 millimetres of rain a year falls on average in Melbourne, compared to 1175mm a year in Sydney and 1149mm in Brisbane. Up north, rain tends to fall intensely, whereas Victoria’s rain tends to fall more as drizzle.
What’s different this time? September was wetter and colder than usual in Victoria, which meant the ground was already saturated in many areas. Colder weather means less water evaporates. Together, that made the state primed for floods.
For a flood to happen, you need a high rate of run-off, where rain hits saturated soils and flows overland rather than sinking in, as well as intense rains in a short period.
Rain has fallen across almost all of Australia’s mainland in the last two weeks. Our rain events are usually regional – not national like this.
La Niña is officially here for the third year in a row. You probably associate it with flooding, but how might it affect future drought and bushfires? And could a fourth La Niña be possible?
After weeks of anticipation, it’s finally official: the Bureau of Meteorology has declared another La Niña is underway. This means Australia’s east coast will likely endure yet another wet, and relatively cool, spring and summer.
It’s the third La Niña event in a row. This is rare, but not unheard of. Triple La Niñas have also occurred in, for example, 1973–1976 and 1998–2001.
The past two La Niñas mean water catchments are already full, and soils are sodden from Noosa in the north through to Lismore and the Hunter Valley in the south. It means more flood events are likely in the coming months.
The bureau’s declaration will be unwelcome news to many people – especially those in parts of New South Wales and Queensland still recovering from recent floods. So what else can flood-weary Australians expect in the coming months? And is a fourth La Niña on the cards?
What would Murdoch’s Sky News after Dark say? No proof it’s man-made? Or simply ignore the global extremes
floodwaters had swept away 700,000 livestock.Early estimates have put the flood damage at more than $US10 billion, the government has said, appealing to the world to help it deal with what it has called a man-made climate catastrophe.
In an emotional mea culpa today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has admitted he got it wrong on the Government’s response to the devastating east-coast floods and should have had photographers on site much sooner.
Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery, Bridget McKenzie, has resisted calls to use the nation’s disaster fund to help flood-affected areas, saying it needed to be set aside for genuine disaster support, such as improved rowing facilities in the at-risk seat of Warringah on Sydney’s north shore.
Staying true to form Peter Dutton deflected any criticism away from himself and ineffect placed it on the ADF by saying “I’m just not going to cop criticism of the ADF,”. Proving he has risen to be Australia’s worst-ever Defense Minister. Private helicopters flew into areas Dutton said were too difficult for the ADF. Food and supplies trucked in to where Dutton said it was too dangerous. What Dutton did say was “go fund yourselves”!!
Lismore and other flood-affected communities have stepped up to manage their own clean-up, with many accusing the army of not doing enough to help people who have lost everything. On Sunrise, Davie Koch (‘Kochie’) latched on to community anger by accusing Defence Minister Peter Dutton of organising too little, too late. “God help us. If we were going to war, we wouldn’t stand a chance if it took this long to get organised,” Kochie said on Tuesday morning. “What’s going on? Why aren’t they there quicker?”
Although there were only 760 pairs of boots on the ground at the time of the Tuesday morning interview, Mr Dutton pledged 5000 personnel in the coming days.
“I’m just not going to cop criticism of the ADF,” Mr Dutton said.
The LNP government signed the country up for the equivalent cost of x8 of these disasters and at the time claimed they were cheap. 8 Submarines at only $80Bn was nothing but now when the estimated cost of flood damage in two states is $1.2 Bn it’s a disaster. It’s the cost of a single sub. So shouldn’t that money be easy to find just cancel one sub. After all delivery isn’t expected until 2040 and the flood damage could be attended to immediately. That National Disaster Fund is $4.5 Bn only returns 5% interest or $200 M of which the L-NP are so proud. Cancel 4 subs the fund would have $9Bn at 10% the average rate of return of an Industrial Super fund they’d have almost a $1Bn to spend. So much for their money management.
Premier Dominic Perrottet will visit the devastated northern city of Lismore, with six people dead as a result of the NSW floods disaster and insurance payouts expected to soar into the hundreds of millions. The cost in NSW alone is now more than $240 million, according to the Insurance Council of Australia, while estimates taking in Queensland claims as well peaked over $1 billion on Friday.
Can we even bother to believe him will the camera be there? He won’t be the only one in the L-NP to have contracted Covid-19. Morrison is looking for sympathy in all the wrong places. Mr Hulot (Scamo) takes a holiday yet again and during the war on floods to plan promises he won’t keep and on how and to whom he will sell his $16Bn war chest for votes.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he has tested positive to COVID-19 but will continue to carry out his responsibilities while he recovers. “I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week,” Mr Morrison said in a statement announcing that he had tested positive on Tuesday night.
Would Australia’s LNP ever be seen doing this? Destroying it’s own infrastructure “for the people’s sake”?
China’s military has blasted a dam to release floodwaters threatening one of its most heavily populated provinces as the death toll in widespread flooding rose to at least 25.
More than 1000 people are missing in flood-stricken regions of western Germany and Belgium, where waters are still rising with the death toll exceeding 100 and communications in some areas cut.
At least 58 deaths were reported in Germany and eight in Belgium The scale of the disaster is not yet clear France and the Netherlands have also experienced flooding
As thousands of homes remain underwater in what appears to be yet another historic flood event in New South Wales, insurance companies are being inundated with calls from worried customers. The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Insurance Council of Australia has declared an insurance catastrophe following more than 5,000 claims over the weekend.
By Amy Goodman and Denis MoynihanWhile any one extreme weather event can’t be directly attributed to climate change, storms, droughts, wildfires, floods and hurricanes all are expected to become more frequent and more severe as the planet warms.
A freight train that derailed near the northeast Australian town of Julia Creek has reportedly leaked up to 31,500 liters of sulfuric acid, while Queensland Police have sharply revised the amount of toxic substance it was hauling upward.
olddogthoughts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.