Tag Archive: Queensland


Australia : North Burnett Mayor Don Waugh says he is extremely concerned about a large sinkhole that has formed near Gayndah as a result of the floods.

Filed under: Disaster Management, Earth Watch Report, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, sinkholes I — Leave a comment
March 4, 2013

Earth Watch Report  -  Flooding / Sinkholes

 

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Floods open up sinkhole near Gayndah

By Frances Adcock
ABC News

March 3, 2013

 

A 10-metre section of causeway next to Scanlans Road, 10 kilometres north of Gayndah, washed away this morning.

Councillor Waugh says council crews are assessing the damage.

“There’s a drop of 10 metres down beside the road and everything else has just gone,” he said.

“It’s just a massive erosion of the ground and it’s just because [of the] fact the water and the grounds are totally sodden because of the amount of rain we’ve had.”

Cr Waugh says he is worried about the stability of many of the roads after the floods.

“Well there’s a few that could be like that, we haven’t got to them all at this stage,” he said.

“There’s another one up at East Creek, there’s another one at Dalgangal Road and that’s just in this area of the shire.”

A section of Scanlans Road is closed

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Three swift water rescues in Queensland

AAP

March 3, 2013

Rain is easing in Queensland but it is going to be another wet week for the sodden southeast.

Emergency alerts were cancelled on Sunday afternoon for Somerset, Banana and Lockyer Valley council areas.

Although more rain is forecast, creeks and rivers are not expected to flood as badly as the downpours over the weekend.

There were 230 calls for help in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.

 

There were three swift water rescues – two in Brisbane suburbs and one in Brightview, west of Brisbane, where six children and adults had taken refuge on the roof of a car.

In the central Queensland town of Cracow, a woman who was isolated by floodwaters and suffering chest pains had to be rescued by helicopter.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the southeast experienced the heaviest falls in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, where 168mm fell at Deception Bay, 161mm in Burpengary and 92mm in Brisbane.

 

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Crocodiles a risk as Australian floodwaters recede

Filed under: Disaster Management, Earth Watch Report, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, Storms — 2 Comments
February 5, 2013
SHAKE AND BLOW

by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Feb 3, 2013

Residents of the flood-hit Australian town of Rockhampton were Sunday warned against the risk of saltwater crocodiles, as the flooded Fitzroy River slowly receded.

Torrential rains that trailed tropical cyclone Oswald flooded parts of the northeast state of Queensland, and as residents of Rockhampton waited for the waters to drain, authorities urged caution.

“The Fitzroy River is a natural habitat for saltwater crocodiles,” deputy mayor Tony Williams told reporters.

“It’s always a danger there. It’s something that we need to be mindful of, and (we are) informing the residents not to go into those waters because of those risks that are there with those crocodiles.”

Floodwaters have swamped the gardens of about 1,100 houses in the central Queensland town, but officials are expecting much less damage than from epic floods in 2011 when hundreds of homes and businesses were inundated.

 

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Australia floods: Queensland beachfront swamped by ‘sea foam’

Filed under: Earth Watch Report, Extreme Weather, Freak Natural Phenomena, Global Disaster Watch, Storms — 1 Comment
January 29, 2013

 

 

Queensland Town swamped in sea foam photo Queenslandtowngetswampedwithseafoam_zpsc35c1919.jpg

 

A stretch of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has been blanketed in the foam, swept ashore by the a tropical cyclone in the area.

 3:52PM GMT 28 Jan 2013
The Telegraph

The bizarre scene on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast was witnessed over the weekend after the north east of the country was hit by a cyclone.

Curious onlookers could only marvel at the shifting landscape of billowing bubbles with some wading in and posing for photographs.

In places, the wall of foam reaches three metres (9 feet) in height and covered entire roads, forcing police to direct traffic in the potentially dangerous situation.

 

Watch Video Here

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Flash Flood – Australia, State of Queensland, [Bundaberg, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and Brisbane]

Filed under: Disaster Management, Earth Watch Report, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch — Leave a comment
January 28, 2013

Earth Watch Report  -  Flooding

A flooded road in Bundaberg. Hundreds of properties in the area have been affected.

A flooded road in Bundaberg. Hundreds of properties in the area have been affected.

PHOTO: AAP

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Today Flash Flood Australia State of Queensland, [Bundaberg, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and Brisbane] Damage level
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Flash Flood in Australia on Monday, 28 January, 2013 at 04:34 (04:34 AM) UTC.

Description
Three people have died and hundreds of homes are under water after heavy rain brought flooding to parts of the Australian state of Queensland. The town of Bundaberg, where rescuers have been trying to airlift some residents to safety, is expecting its worst floods on record. In Brisbane, the state capital, almost 5,000 homes and properties are at risk. The rain was brought by Tropical Cyclone Oswald, which is now affecting the northern part of New South Wales. Two years ago, flooding in Queensland left 35 people dead, with Bundaberg among the towns affected. Bundaberg Mayor Mal Foreman said the floods would be “far worse” than 2011. Residents have been told to evacuate in some areas after the Burnett River burst its banks. At least 1,200 properties have flooded and some 30 people are trapped on the roofs of their houses in the north of the city. In Brisbane, which was paralysed by flooding two years ago, water has been creeping into low-lying parts of the central business district. Residents of the Lockyer Valley, which was the scene of deadly flash floods in 2011, have also been told to evacuate as creeks and rivers rise. In Ipswich, the Bremer River is expected to peak later in the day, prompting flood warnings. Police said the body of an elderly man who went to check on a yacht north of Bundaberg had been recovered on Sunday. Two men swept away by flooding in separate incidents in Queensland were also found dead on Monday.

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Extreme weather threatens Queensland, storm tides and 400mm of rain expected

Filed under: Disaster Management, Earth Watch Report, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, Storms — Leave a comment
January 26, 2013

Earth Watch Report  -  Flooding

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The Courier-Mail
via  sott.net
Sat, 26 Jan 2013
flooding Gracemere and Rockhampton

© Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail
Aerials of flooding between Gracemere and Rockhampton, central Queensland.

The central Queensland city of Gladstone faces a one-in-100-year flood, and up to 1600 homes near Brisbane could be inundated as extreme weather hits.

Storm tides, extremely heavy rain and emergency dam releases have combined to present the state with its worst weather event since 2011.

Emergency flood alerts have been issued for several Queensland towns overnight with residents being told to get to higher ground.

Residents of Gladstone, on the central Queensland coast, were asked to prepare their properties on Saturday morning after being advised that flood levels along the Boyne River would exceed one in 100 flood levels on the morning high tide at 8.45am (AEST).

Residents at Callide Creek, 600km north of Brisbane, were urged to move to higher ground at the nearby Jambin Hall as a flood release from the Callide Dam was tipped to reach 1.5 metres.

People in the coastal towns of Toorbul and Meldale, between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, were meanwhile issued with a watch and act notice, with the Department of Community Safety warning the communities are likely to be affected by a dangerous storm surge caused by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald at 9am.

The Saturday morning storm tides are also expected to put up to 1600 homes in danger of being inundated in the coastal Moreton Bay region, north of Brisbane.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said on Friday night the council and SES were door-knocking homes in some of the areas at greatest risk.

“These potentially dangerous storm tides are associated with the ex-tropical cyclone Oswald which could also dump up to 400mm of rain on the Moreton region this weekend,” the mayor said in a statement.

Sand and sandbags are available for areas potentially affected by storm tides at SES depots on Bribie Island, at Deception Bay and Redcliffe, he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the area this weekend with damaging winds, heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf conditions.

It says tides are expected to be almost a metre higher than those listed on tide charts.

Meanwhile, a 22-year-old man who had been stranded for 24 hours by flooding on a roadside in Queensland’s northeast was plucked to safety by a helicopter on Friday night.

The man had been driving from Charters Towers to Mackay when his car became bogged, before rising floodwater left him stranded on the side of Suttor Development Road around 5pm on Thursday, the RACQ said.

The man couldn’t be reached by road rescuers, so the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter was sent to his aid just before 5pm on Friday.

Former cyclone Oswald has been causing flooding across the state since Tuesday, when it crossed Cape York Peninsula’s west coast and was downgraded to a low-pressure system.

Many Australia Day celebrations have been cancelled across the state due to the extreme weather.

Earlier

With 300mm of rain forecast to soak the region today and tomorrow, Premier Campbell Newman yesterday gave the order for just under 50,000 million litres to be drawn from Wivenhoe and North Pine Dams, a three per cent reduction.

With ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald drenching north Queensland, it is the southeast’s turn to receive a bucketing as the low creates flash flooding from the Sunshine Coast to the New South Wales border.

In central Queensland, swiftwater rescue teams made 20 rescues including plucking eight people to safety after their car was swept off the Capricorn Highway and a teenager was saved from a ranging torrent by swift water rescue teams.

Rockhampton flood rescue

© Allan Reinikka/The Morning Bulletin
A swiftwater rescue officer saves a young boy in Frenchmans Creek at Rockhampton.
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HAZMAT – Australia, State of Queensland, Bingo [Bowen Basin mining] : Ammonia nitrate plant explosion

Filed under: Chemicals, Disaster Management, Earth Watch Report, Global Disaster Watch, Hazmat — Leave a comment
January 11, 2013

Earth Watch Report  -   Hazmat

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  11.01.2013 HAZMAT Australia State of Queensland, Bingo [Bowen Basin mining] Damage level
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HAZMAT in Australia on Friday, 11 January, 2013 at 03:57 (03:57 AM) UTC.

Description
The world’s largest explosive manufacturing company has plans to build an ammonium nitrate plant to serve the Bowen Basin mining industry on rural land 14km east of Dingo. Orica hopes to provide a facility to store and distribute the chemical compound and manufacture ammonium nitrate emulsion. The proposal includes an 80-worker accommodation village and has been submitted to the Central Highlands Regional Council. The 1434-hectare location – selected because it is close to the coast, the mining industry and west of major river systems – is set to complement the Gladstone facility. An Orica spokesman said community consultations had been held to advise local residents and address issues. “The site itself meets all of the required criteria in terms of appropriate buffers from population centres and access to transport,” the spokesman said.

“The project will involve a number of elements to upgrade the Diamond Dee Rd and the siding from the Capricorn Hwy… to ensure appropriate management of truck movements during times of peak activity.” In late October, Orica was fined $432,000 after pleading guilty to environmental offences relating to the discharge of unsafe levels of cyanide into the Gladstone Harbour. An Orica spokesman said the waste produced at the Dingo project would have no impact as the area is located about 1km from the nearest watercourse aside from a farm dam north-west of the site. “The blending and storage processes proposed for the site produce no waste. Orica will use the first flush system to collect rainwater that falls on the site for use in the proposed facility,” the spokesman said. Water will be collected and tested to ensure all standards are met and the spokesman said the native vegetation would be retained to screen the project located about 1.4km south of the Capricorn Hwy. Any impact on the environment and townships in close proximity will not be evident until construction commences, if approved, but an Orica spokesman said a “significant amount of work to conduct a thorough environmental assessment of the project” had taken place.

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Biological Hazard – Australia, State of Queensland, [Fraser Island] : Jellyfish Invasion – Bluebottle / Irukandji

Filed under: Biological Hazard, Earth Watch Report, Global Disaster Watch — 1 Comment
January 9, 2013

Earth Watch Report  -  Biological Hazards

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09.01.2013 Biological Hazard Australia State of Queensland, [Fraser Island] Damage level
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Wednesday, 09 January, 2013 at 07:59 (07:59 AM) UTC.
Description
Just the name can cause fear among those who love to spend long summer days swimming in the ocean. The deadly jellyfish have been responsible for plenty of angst on the Fraser Coast in recent weeks, after the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter airlifted six people off Fraser Island with suspected Irukandji stings. A seventh person was stung, but chose to remain on the island. But while Andrew Haig, who works in the emergency department of Hervey Bay Hospital, believes there are Irukandji in Fraser Coast waters, he does not believe the people who were stung were victims of the jellyfish. He said the kind of symptoms that had been described to him led him to believe the people who had been stung, which includes four children, one as young as five, were victims of another kind of marine sting, such as a bluebottle. Dr Haig said a good way of telling the difference was that the pain of the sting was usually instant when one was stung by a bluebottle and other, less severe types of jellyfish. There was also usually a welt in the affected area. With the Irukandji, on the other hand, symptoms didn’t usually start until about half an hour or several hours after the sting. The skin often showed no signs of being affected. Testing to determine species of jellyfish was difficult as venom was not able to be tested and part of the specimen had to remain on the body in order for it to be done. Dr Haig said he would feel perfectly comfortable with swimming in the waters off the western side of Fraser Island. Last week, the Department of National Parks said swimming along the western coast of Fraser Island and at Platypus Bay, Wathumba, Awinya and Woralie Creeks was not recommended. “Multiple people have been stung by Irukandji jellyfish along the western coast of Fraser Island in the past few days,” the department said in a public notice.
Biohazard name: Jellyfish Invasion
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

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Heat Wave – Australia, State of Queensland, [Central Highlands region]

Filed under: Earth Watch Report, Extreme Weather — 2 Comments
December 5, 2012

Earth Watch Report  -  Extreme Weather

Weather forecasters predicting a hotter-than-usual summer. Photo / Thinkstock

Weather forecasters predicting a hotter-than-usual summer. Photo / Thinkstock

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05.12.2012 Heat Wave Australia State of Queensland, [Central Highlands region] Damage level
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Heat Wave in Australia on Wednesday, 05 December, 2012 at 07:06 (07:06 AM) UTC.

Description
Residents in the Central Highlands experienced smouldering heat yesterday, proving summer is well and truly here. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Brendan Bradford said the temperatures, which peaked at 38 degrees yesterday, would ease today, but only slightly. “It looks like the temperatures do start to drop off during Wednesday and Thursday for the Central Highlands,” he said. “It will still be a hot day (today)… fine conditions and temperatures still around 40 degrees for places like Clermont and Moranbah, but easing to about 38 (degrees) for Emerald.” Mr Bradford said the scorcher we had been hit with in the first few days of summer was well above average for this time of the year, and would continue into next year. “This has been building up over the west of the state for about a week,” he said. Following damaging wind gusts up to 81kmh which struck Emerald and surrounding districts on Monday night, the 17mm of scattered rain over parts of the region was the last drop before the mercury soared on Tuesday. Rain solace is expected for some parts of the region, with isolated showers and storms forming during today in the north-eastern parts of the Central Highlands. “Moranbah might see a shower, and isolated showers developing anywhere north or east of the line from about Emerald,” Mr Bradford said. Assistant director weather services Alasdair Hainsworth said the heatwave was the first for a while: “We haven’t seen an early season, prolonged heatwave like this since November 2009, which was a record hot month.”

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Forest / Wild Fire - Australia, State of Queensland, Aramara [Maryborough-Biggenden Rd], ( Queensland-wide 11//5/2012 )

Filed under: Earth Watch Report, Fire - Forest/ Wild Fires, Global Disaster Watch — 1 Comment
December 5, 2012

Earth Watch Report  -  Forest  / Wild Fire

Wildfire

Wildfire (Photo credit: agrilifetoday)

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04.12.2012 Forest / Wild Fire Australia State of Queensland, Aramara [Maryborough-Biggenden Rd] Damage level
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Forest / Wild Fire in Australia on Tuesday, 04 December, 2012 at 08:25 (08:25 AM) UTC.

Description
A grassfire is now burning about a kilometre from homes in Aramara on the Maryborough-Biggenden Rd. Seven fire crews are now on site to battle the blaze and protect nearby homes, with reports of road closures near Aramara and Brooweena. First officer of Brooweena Rural Fire Brigade Bill Brand said the fire was suspected arson. He said someone had lit a fire in the Brooweena dump this morning, which had since spread close to Aramara.

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05.12.2012 Forest / Wild Fire Australia State of Queensland, [Queensland-wide] Damage level
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Forest / Wild Fire in Australia on Wednesday, 05 December, 2012 at 08:25 (08:25 AM) UTC.

Description
Hot, dry conditions in Queensland have sparked 73 fires across the state, with a large dangerous blaze sweeping towards two tiny communities on the Darling Downs. Six firefighting crews and two water bombing aircraft are struggling to bring the large, fast moving fire southwest of Dalby under control. People living in the Halliford and Lake Broadwater areas are being told to leave their homes or put their bushfire plans into action as the blaze moves northwest over the next six hours. The Queensland Rural Fire services warns it will be very hot and windy and as the fire approaches it may become increasingly difficult to see, hear or breathe. Some homes and livestock may be lost in the inferno. QRFS also expects power and water supplies to be cut, and mobile phone coverage in the area to be lost. Crews will continue to backburn and strengthen containment lines on a large grass fire near Miles on the state’s Western Downs through Wednesday night. Two water bombing aircraft worked through the day on the blaze, which has been burning since Sunday. And a fire that was threatening homes in Townsville earlier on Wednesday has been bought under control and fire crews have left the scene. Scores of other fires burning across state are in inaccessible areas or not threatening property.

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Biological Hazard – Australia : Shark attack (non-fatal), Jellyfish invasion (Catostylus jellyfish), Animal attack (fatal, salt water crocodile)

Filed under: Biological Hazard, Earth Watch Report — 5 Comments
December 3, 2012

Earth Watch Report  -  Biological Hazards

 

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Today Biological Hazard Australia State of New South Wales, [South West Rocks] Damage level
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Monday, 03 December, 2012 at 04:29 (04:29 AM) UTC.

Description
A man has been bitten by a shark while swimming off a beach on the NSW north coast. The man, aged in his 30s, was taking an afternoon dip at South West Rocks, yesterday, when he was attacked. Nearby swimmers were able to help the man to shore, where he was treated by paramedics for a bite to his arm. He was rushed to Kempsey Hospital for further treatment. Lifeguards said it was believed the shark was a Grey Nurse. The beach was closed for the afternoon, and remains closed this morning.
Biohazard name: Shark attack (non-fatal)
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

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Today Biological Hazard Australia State of Queensland, [Fraser Coast beaches] Damage level
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Monday, 03 December, 2012 at 04:05 (04:05 AM) UTC.

Description
Jellyfish are stalking Fraser Coast beaches in plague-like proportions and surf lifesavers are warning swimmers to be careful. Catostylus jellyfish, also known as blue blubber jellyfish, have been turning up in “abnormally high” numbers, according to Craig Holden, Surf Life Saving Queensland’s regional manager for the Wide Bay Capricornia. But while the species was not deadly, Mr Holden said swimmers, particularly parents with young children, still had to be vigilant. “The sting can cause a minor irritation and people certainly need to be aware that they are there,” he said. “People tend to see the size of them and panic, but it is nothing for people to be alarmed about.” Mr Holden said some people would not even feel the sting of a blubber jellyfish, but others might receive some minor pain. He urged anyone who was stung to see their local surf lifesavers, who are trained to treat jellyfish stings. Alternatively, warm water or ice could help ease the pain. Blue blubber jellyfish, which grow to about 35cm in diameter, have peppered the sand of Hervey Bay’s beaches for weeks and large numbers have also been spotted up at Bundaberg. But local lifeguards have only treated a handful of beachgoers for stings so far this season, Mr Holden said. Box jellyfish and irukandji were the deadly varieties, but Mr Holden said they were uncommon in Fraser Coast waters and were more likely to be found in north Queensland.
Biohazard name: Jellyfish invasion (Catostylus jellyfish)
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

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Today Biological Hazard Australia State of Northern Territory, [South of Port Bradshaw] Damage level
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Monday, 03 December, 2012 at 04:03 (04:03 AM) UTC.

Description
A boy is presumed dead in a second deadly crocodile attack in three weeks in northern Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported the boy, believed to be 9-years-old, was swimming with other children south of Port Bradshaw, when a large crocodile grabbed him and swam away on Saturday. Police say the boy’s family tried to spear the animal but the crocodile dragged the child out into deeper water. Police and rangers searched the water until midnight Saturday night but did not see any signs of the boy. Sergeant Brennan said the crocodile believed to be responsible was about 13 feet long and was known to the families living in the area. He says the crocodile was one that people used to feed, which is strongly discouraged because of resulting attacks like this.

Brennan said there were up to eight saltwater crocodiles living in the area and the suspected killer was sighted and shot at several times by search parties in the search for the boy. This is the second child to die in a crocodile attack in northern Australia in three weeks. On Nov. 16, a 7-year-old girl was snatched by a large crocodile, while swimming with her family in Arnhem Land. That crocodile was found and fatally shot the next day and the girl’s remains were found inside it. Crocodile attacks on people are common in places where large crocodiles are native and human populations live like northern Australia. Crocodiles are cold blooded and have a body temperature similar to the surrounding air, land or water. Since they lack a reptilian thermostat, they seek a habitat with warm water and air temperature all year round. The Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland’s nature conservation authority, were attempting to meet the challenge of protecting crocodiles and preventing their extinction, while trying to ensure that people can safely co-exist with these animals.
Biohazard name: Animal attack (fatal, salt water crocodile)
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:

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