that is one BIG hurricane

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41382991/ns/weather/

A number of years ago, Gloria and I pulled out camper over to the side of the road. The weather alert radio had just alarmed and was spewing off a list of county names. All unknown to us. We were hunting for them on a large atlas (very tiny print) when the radio began saying "if you are in the affected area TAKE COVER NOW."

We found a secure location. One tornado went a mile north, another a mile south. Actually the weather did not look all that bad. Probably would have continued driving had we not had the weather radio on.

Scarrrry time.

Nomad

I often bike tour in tornado country, in season. A weather radio is indispensable.

As they cyclone is still heading across the state and the full impact isn't really known, I'd just like to say a few things about communication in the aftermath of a cyclone.

Power is out to quite a large area (estimated around 180,000 people but expected to increase as further reports arrive). HV transmission lines are out and severe damage is expected. Power is expected to be out for at least days, and in some areas weeks.

There are several hundred mobile phone towers operating on their generators which have enough fuel for 6-8 hours of operation. Similarly landline exchanges are without power and operating off generators, although they typically have longer fuel supplies. A handful of mobile phone sites have been taken completely offline in the worst effected areas, but this is not unexpected.

Broadcast transmission is expected to be disrupted. With the power out there is some concern over whether radio transmitters will have enough fuel to continue transmitting.

The ABC (Australia's national broadcaster) is using Shortwave to broadcast into the affected areas. This is a very unusual situation in Australia. There are 3 domestic shortwave transmitters used normally for very remote areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, but never for highly populated cities. Very few people have shortwave capable radios.

Sounds, reads, looks on TV, like Queensland is hanging tough, working together, cooperating, and pooling resources to protect those most in danger. The bottom line is that more than one source near Cairn is claiming there have been no fatalities. Another report is that more are coming out of shelters than went in by virtue of at least one lady giving birth.

It would be something of a novelty to have no fatalities. People die. Even in good times it is a constant. In a major crisis people with heart conditions vapor-lock, asthmatics have attacks, medications get forgotten, people panic and run each other over. The death count running backward during a disaster would be truly remarkable.

There has only been one confirmed fatality to date.

A young man operating a diesel powered generator in a closed room and as a result succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning.

There are two others believed missing in Cardwell, one of whom was attempting to move his boat into mangroves during the cyclone.

Thankfully the cyclone passed midway between Townsville and Cairns, the nearest large (>150,000 population) centres. One suspects the toll may have been a lot higher if either of these cities had been hit directly.

Hey, scrounger, got my fingers crossed for all of you down under. That was a seriously freaky storm. Hoping for the best.
-Doug