Tag Archive: Sydney


Earth Watch Report  -  Flooding

   New South Wakes                                                                       Kempsey Region

 

 

23.02.2013 Flood Australia State of New South Wales, [Kempsey region] Damage level
Details

Flood in Australia on Saturday, 23 February, 2013 at 16:39 (04:39 PM) UTC.

Description
Two people are dead and 19,000 people have been told to evacuate as rising floodwaters and wild winds wreak havoc across the state. Roads are flooded and residents of Kempsey and areas on the state’s mid-north coast are bracing as the Macleay River is expected to again break its banks. SES volunteers have responded to 2729 calls for help – 450 in Sydney – and warned the number was “rising rapidly”. There have also been 34 rescues, mainly of people stranded in their cars. The body of a 17-year-old boy was discovered after he was sucked into a drainpipe while wading in waist-deep floodwater with friends on Friday afternoon. The group had been collecting golf balls when he was sucked into the drain. A friend found the boy’s body in reeds about 40 metres from the drain exit near Kew, on the NSW Mid-North Coast.

One of the group, a 16-year-old boy, was also pulled into the pipe while trying to find his friend, travelling underwater for 100 metres before emerging into a dam at the other end. The two boys were taken by ambulance to Port Macquarie Base Hospital in a distraught state with the 16-year-old admitted with water on his lungs. Police remain at the scene of a second death where a man’s body was found in a submerged car north of Grafton. SES volunteers were called to Rogan Bridge Road at Mylneford, about 20km north-west of Grafton, shortly before 1pm today after a car was seen submerged in floodwaters. Volunteers found the body of the man inside the car and alerted Grafton Police. Police are now working to formally identify the man. Meanwhile, some 19,000 people have been ordered to evacuate and 21400 are isolated mainly in Byron, Clarence and Belligne as rain and winds continue to batter NSW. Torrential rain, gales and dangerous surf battered regions for the second time in a month with moderate to major flooding in river systems stretching from Lismore to Port Macquarie.

Roofs were lifted off houses while thousands were left without power as an intense low pressure system moved over the region. A spokesperson for the SES said Kempsey, Port Macquarie and areas of the lower Macleay were on flood alert with volunteers urging locals to leave their homes and places of business. The higher peak is just short of the 2001 flood and will affect the Kempsey central business district and cause major flooding downstream at Smithtown and in rural areas. Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Tim Constable said although system was weakening as it head south, the rain and big swells were expected to hang around for the next week.

Wild weather brings floods, ‘mini tornadoes’

February 24, 2013 – 4:31PM

Rachel Olding

Floods and ‘mini tornadoes’ batter NSW

A major storm has hit many areas of the state with strong wind and rain likely to last for the rest of the week.

A major storm system has left towns across eastern parts of the state battling floodwaters and triggered “mini tornadoes” that hit hundreds of homes across Sydney and the Illawarra region overnight.

The storms in the Sydney region affected mostly the eastern suburbs, damaging the Malabar RSL club, a primary school and ripping part of the roof of Fox Studios.

Police have blocked off all roads surrounding the RSL club after winds of more than 100km/h partially ripped off its roof and caused sheets of asbestos to fly onto nearby homes and roads.

Damage to a waterfront property at Neutral Bay. Photo: Ben RushtonDamage to a waterfront property at Neutral Bay. Photo: Ben Rushton

Fire and Rescue NSW HAZMAT crews continue to clear asbestos from a number of nearby streets which are expected to be closed to traffic for as long as another 24 hours.

One resident of north Sydney’s Kirribilli described seeing a “funnel cloud” that struck just after midnight, bringing down trees in the Willoughby Street area, damaging cars and ripping off the roof of the Kirribilli Sailing Club. The wind “sounded like a freight train,” and the cloud was between 50-100m wide, the resident told Fairfax Media.

The Westpac Bank in Kirribilli was also damaged, with part of its roof wrapped around a telegraph pole.

Kirribilli resident Ian Kiernan Photo: Ben RushtonKirribilli resident Ian Kiernan Photo: Ben Rushton

‘‘At the moment the weather seems to have subsided and it’s the clean-up phase,’’ an SES spokeswoman said.

More rain to come

Flood warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) remain in place for 15 river systems across the state.

Wind damage at Chifley Public school. Photo Ben RushtonWind damage at Chifley Public school. Photo Ben Rushton

The Colo river, northwest of Sydney and a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, was predicted to rise to 10.7m today, a ‘‘near major flood level’’, according to the SES and BOM.

Other parts of the NSW North Coast, meanwhile, were battling major floods with roads cut and emergency services carrying out several dramatic rescues.

Some regions, such as Yarras inland from Port Macquarie, received 460mm of rain over three days – 415mm of that falling within the 24 hours to 9am yesterday.

Harry Tran, Chifley resident pictured in one of the rooms in his house that lost its roof. Photo: Ben RushtonHarry Tran, Chifley resident pictured in one of the rooms in his house that lost its roof. Photo: Ben Rushton

The floods were more widespread than a bigger rain event three weeks ago because “catchments were much drier last time”, said Julie Evans, senior meteorologist at the weather bureau.

More rain is expected over northern NSW from tomorrow but “hopefully nothing of the scale of the last few days, Ms Evan said. Localised falls may be as high as 70mm.

Wind gusts reached 135 km/h in Sydney. The strongest wind gust recorded in a NSW thunderstorm is 174 km/h, recorded at Richmond on December 3, 1974, the bureau said.

View of storm damage in Willoughby Street, Kirribilli . Photo by Sue BennettView of storm damage in Willoughby Street, Kirribilli . Photo by Sue Bennett

 

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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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WATER WORLD

Young dolphin lures pod to safety in Australia

by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) Feb 3, 2013

 

Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation said the dolphins were milling in shallow water at Whalers Cove near Albany on the south coast and in danger of a mass stranding when found on Saturday.

One dolphin had already died.

Local conservation leader Deon Utber said wildlife experts moved a juvenile dolphin by boat to deeper waters at high tide on Saturday to entice the others to follow.

“The juvenile was sending out distress signals, which was calling the dolphins in, as soon as it was translocated to deeper waters the pod followed it out and last we saw they were swimming out to sea,” he said in a statement.

Officials said there was no sign of the pod by Sunday morning.

 

Related Links
Water News – Science, Technology and Politics

 

 

EPIDEMICS

by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP)

An Australian scientist said Wednesday he had discovered a way to turn the HIV virus against itself in human cells in the laboratory, in an important advance in the quest for an AIDS cure.

David Harrich from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research said he modified a protein in HIV that normally helps the virus spread, into a “potent” inhibitor.

The protein was introduced to immune cells targeted by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), where it slowed the reproduction of the virus after infection.

The experiments were conducted in a lab dish, and thorough testing on lab animals is needed before any human trials can begin.

“I have never seen anything like it. The modified protein works every time,” said Harrich.

Harrich’s team, whose study is published in the journal Human Gene Therapy, said the modified protein dubbed Nullbasic inhibited virus replication about eight- to ten-fold in some cells.

“If this research continues down its strong path, and bear in mind there are many hurdles to clear, we’re looking at a cure for AIDS,” the researcher said.

Commenting on the study, Frank Wegmann, an Oxford University HIV vaccine researcher, told AFP a Nullbasic-based drug was “quite far from application”.

Creating a drug would be challenging, he said, as it would require introducing “designed” information into the genes of people to be treated.

“The immune cells of the blood are the primary cells which are infected by HIV and if you want to have a cure with this new protein, you need to… get every immune cell to make this protein,” he explained.

 

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SPACE SCOPES

by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP)

Telescopes at a global astronomy research hub appear to have survived a devastating Australian bushfire that destroyed nearby homes and damaged several buildings on the site, officials said on Monday.

The fire, which raged through the night fueled by hot, strong winds, damaged parts of the Aus $100 million (US$105 million) Siding Spring Observatory some 500 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of Sydney, officials said.

But the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) said although some 33 homes had been destroyed, aerial surveillance had established that the main Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) “has survived, although it is not known if it has been damaged”.

Eighteen staff working at the observatory, which houses 10 telescopes run by Australian, Polish, British, South Korean and American researchers, were safely evacuated before the fire struck.

Monitoring instruments at the main telescope showed temperatures surging above 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit) at the height of the danger, and the RFS said there had been “genuine fear for people’s lives”.

The inferno was one of 170 blazes raging on Monday across New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, where heatwave conditions have scorched some 500,000 hectares (1.235 million acres) over the past week.

The Australian National University, which administers the remote observatory site, said five buildings had been “severely affected or damaged”, including lodgings for visiting researchers and the visitors’ center.

 

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Earth Watch Report  -  Heat Wave

07.01.2013 Heat Wave Australia [Statewide] Damage level Details

Deatils of Situation Update

Heat Wave in Australia on Thursday, 03 January, 2013 at 15:06 (03:06 PM) UTC.

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Updated: Monday, 07 January, 2013 at 03:42 UTC
Description
The heatwave Sydney has managed to avoid is due to hit on Tuesday, as firefighters prepare for the most dangerous bushfire conditions in years in the city and around the state. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the maximum temperature in inner Sydney and the western suburbs will be 43 after a run of much cooler days. The temperature peaked at 28 in the city and 34 in the western suburbs on Sunday, and it is predicted to top 27 in the city and 33 in the west on Monday. Sydney escaped extreme temperatures for much of the past week because of easterly winds bringing cool air from the ocean, the bureau’s duty forecaster, Sarah Hicks, said. “Those winds will move to the west, so that usually brings hotter inland temperatures through to the coast,” she said.Some of the hottest areas in the state at the weekend were in the far west and the southern half of the state, including Hay, which set a record at 48 on Saturday, Ivanhoe, which hit 45, and Wilcannia, which hit 47.6 on Sunday. A NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman, Ben Shepherd, said the hot and windy weather meant fire ratings in Sydney, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, central ranges and parts of the Riverina could be extreme on Tuesday. Mr Shepherd said those were the highest fire danger ratings the regions had had in years, while almost half the state could have severe fire danger ratings and total fire bans. “The last few years of wet weather have led to unprecedented growth in some areas in the western parts of the state. That grass has now dried out,” Mr Shepherd said. “It’s now become very susceptible to fire. It’s in areas now that haven’t seen fire activity for decades.

“Some people don’t believe they’re as dangerous as bushfires but grass fires typically move around about three times as fast as a bushfire. They can cut roads and impact on properties with little or no warning.” RFS volunteers fought about 70 blazes across the state on Sunday. Grass fires sparked by lightning strikes were burning in Stuart Town, near Wellington, and Numeralla, east of Cooma. Firefighters have been preparing for weeks for the extreme heat, and the service has water bombing aircraft on standby. “What we’re asking, though, is the public take this opportunity to prepare themselves,” Mr Shepherd said. “Clear the gutters, trim back trees, have a hose that reaches the whole way around your home but, most importantly, have a bushfire survival plan.” There is likely to be little relief from the heat around NSW for at least a week. Despite relatively cooler temperatures spreading from coastal areas to the south of the state after Tuesday’s highs, the weekend was expected to bring more sweltering conditions, Ms Hicks said. “We’ve got quite a lot of hot upper air over the inland of the state and it’s just not really cleared out by that change that comes through on Tuesday and Wednesday,” she said.

Deatils of Situation Update

Heat Wave in Australia on Thursday, 03 January, 2013 at 15:06 (03:06 PM) UTC.

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Updated: Tuesday, 08 January, 2013 at 04:08 UTC
Description
Stifling heat and strong winds have combined to create a “catastrophic” fire risk in parts of the southeast Australian state of New South Wales. Residents have been warned to remain vigilant as temperatures rise towards a predicted high of 43 degrees in the state capital Sydney on what Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called a “dangerous” day. “The word catastrophic is being used for good reason,” Gillard told CNN affiliate the Seven Network. “It is very important that people keep themselves safe, that they listen to local authorities and local warnings. This is a very dangerous day.” A catastrophic fire risk has been declared in at least three areas of NSW, although the risk across 90% of the state is “severe” or above. On Tuesday morning, more than 102 fires were burning throughout the state, with over 20 of those yet to be controlled, according to NSW Rural Fire Service. “Right across the state we’re seeing fires that we had on the books… breaching their containment lines and running,” Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said in a briefing.Thousands of firefighters were battling blazes on the ground, and more than 40 aircraft and 250 fire trucks had been deployed, the fire service said. Thousands more firefighters are on standby in high risk areas, including 21 “strike teams,” each consisting of five tankers to assist local brigades. “It’s a long way ahead — we’ve got a lot of daylight left and a lot of nighttime left under these conditions,” Fitzsimmons said. Record high temperatures and the delayed state of the Australian monsoon season have created a tinderbox out of large swathes of bush and scrub land across the state. The last four months of 2012 were “abnormally hot” across Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Meterology. Average maximum temperatures were the highest since records began in 1910. The extreme fire threat in NSW follows a series of devastating blazes in the southern island state of Tasmania in recent days.

Firefighters are still on alert, tackling at least one blaze, and a total fire ban has been imposed across the state as residents who were in the path of the fires pick through the charred rubble of their homes. More than 100 properties were destroyed or damaged. Rescue workers are continuing to search for human remains as around 100 people have not contacted friends or families, according to Tasmania police. “It’s vitally important that all people who were in the area at the time, and are ok, self-register their details with the National Registration and Inquiry Service operated by the Red Cross,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Donna Adams. Meanwhile, police have charged a 31-year-old man for allegedly causing one of the worst of the fires by leaving a campfire unattended that was not completely extinguished.

4 07.01.2013 Forest / Wild Fire Australia State of Tasmania, [Epping Forest] Damage level
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Forest / Wild Fire in Australia on Friday, 04 January, 2013 at 04:17 (04:17 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Monday, 07 January, 2013 at 11:15 UTC
Description
Australia’s island state of Tasmania is struggling to contain wildfires that destroyed 100 properties and forced more than 3,000 people from their homes as areas of the mainland brace for catastrophic conditions due tomorrow. The government is sending financial aid and extra firefighters to Tasmania amid concerns people may have died in the blazes. Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who surveyed the damage today, said the government plans grants of as much as A$8,875 ($9,301) to help people in fire-stricken communities cover living expenses and find new homes. The wildfires in Tasmania, an island the size of West Virginia about 240 kilometers (150 miles) off Australia’s southeast coast, forced residents and tourists to seek refuge on boats and beaches. Fires are also burning in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia states amid the most wide-ranging heatwave in a decade, with Sydney forecast to reach 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) tomorrow. “This is the time to be vigilant and I do particularly want to pass that message on to the people of New South Wales as the temperature gauge starts to rise,” Gillard told reporters in Hobart. Authorities said most of the 100 people, including tourists, that were missing have now been accounted for and there have been no reported deaths.

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Forest / Wild Fire in Australia on Friday, 04 January, 2013 at 04:17 (04:17 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Tuesday, 08 January, 2013 at 04:22 UTC
Description
Residents in a Tasmanian town near Hobart have been told to evacuate their homes if the path is clear, as more bushfires sweep through the state today. The Tasmania Fire Service issued an alert at 12.55pm AEDT warning of a large bushfire between Forcett and the Tasman Peninsula. Read more about the bushfires across the nation here It said embers, smoke and ash could fall on Eaglehawk Neck, Pirates Bay, Doo Town, Old Jetty Road and Blowhole Road before the fire front hit. Residents in these areas have been urged to evacuate to Pirates Bay boat ramp or Eaglehawk Neck Beach if it is possible to do so. If it is too late to leave the area, residents are urged to activate their bushfire plans and shelter in a well-constructed, prepared and defended house. The fire service has also released an emergency alert for a large, out-of-control bushfire at Flowery Gully near Launceston this afternoon.

Residents in the area have also been encouraged to activate their bushfire plans and leave their homes if the path is clear. A watch and act alert has also been issued for an out of control bushfire burning in the Shakespeare Hills Forest Reserve at Montumana in Tasmania’s north. Fire crews are working to establish containment lines around the fire but are concerned spot-fires may threaten nearby residents’ homes before the fire front reaches them. Residents near a bushfire at Lake Repulse in central Tasmania have been told to evacuate their homes now if they wish to leave the area. The fire service said the fire posed no immediate threat but some areas could experience dense smoke because of local wind conditions.

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Earth Watch  Report  -  Biological  Hazards

 

Sydney’s Malabar beach glows blue following red algae invasion

News.com.au

After the eastern beaches coastline resembled the Red Sea last Tuesday, the “night lantern” visited Sydney’s Malabar beach that evening. These photos have not been digitally enhanced – in fact, photographer Dr David Psaila said the water was an even more spectacular colour blue than that shown in these images, the Southern Courier reports. “The organism responsible, Noctiluca Scintillans known as “night lantern” is very aptly named, as it will luminesce a bright blue when it is disturbed by waves,” he said. The Chifley scientist said the red algae that crept along the east coast last week contained a chemical called luciferin which was a common protein found in bioluminescent animals.

© David Psaila

“It’s a chemical reaction that causes light,” he said. “It is often found in deep sea creatures and is the exact same chemical that causes fire flies to glow.”

Dr Psaila said although he had seen this effect before but never to this degree.

“The reason why there are probably not seeing it at other beaches is that those beaches would have a lot more lights around so its really hard to see whereas at Malabar – you see the waves rolling in and they are all blue,” he said.

© David Psaila

Earth Watch Report  -  Biological Hazards

English: biological hazard alert post

English: biological hazard alert post (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Today Biological Hazard Australia State of New South Wales, [Botany Bay or Georges River] Damage level
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Sunday, 02 December, 2012 at 05:13 (05:13 AM) UTC.

Description
Sydneysiders are being warned to steer clear of wild seafood from Botany Bay or Georges River, in the city’s south, or risk paralytic poisoning. A public health warning issued last week remains in place after sampling results on Friday confirmed a toxic algal bloom was still present. The bloom is not the same as the non-toxic algae that turned water at beaches around Sydney blood-red this week. The NSW Food Authority has warned the species of algae found in Botany Bay produces paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. People are advised not to eat any shellfish, lobster, periwinkles, sea urchins or crabs taken from the area, and that cooking does not destroy the toxins. “Any finfish caught should be rinsed in fresh water, gilled and the guts and offal should not be consumed,” the authority said in a statement. “All shellfish purchased through commercial seafood outlets are not affected by this algal warning and are safe to eat. “Shellfish farms in the affected area have ceased harvesting and will not reopen until further sampling and testing shows the toxic bloom has completely dissipated.” Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning include tingling in the mouth and extremities, pins and needles, unsteadiness on the feet, weakness of the arms or legs and nausea.
Biohazard name: Paralytic poisoning ()shellfish)
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
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Earth Watch Report

Incoming! Tunguska-class bolide to miss Earth by just 22,500km on 15 February 2013

Lucie Bradley
Cosmos Online

© ESA
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass by Earth at a distance of 22,500km on 15 February 2013. How long before one of these things hits?

An asteroid the size of a city block is due to come whizzing past Earth closer than any other of its size in recorded history in February next year, according to astronomers.

The asteroid, referred to as 2012 DA14, has a diameter of approximately 45m and an estimated mass of 130,000 tonnes. It was discovered at the start of 2012 and is set to travel between the Earth and our geostationary communication satellites on 15 February 2013. At a distance of just 22,500km this will be the closest asteroid ‘fly by’ in recorded history.

Asteroid and comet researchers will be gathering at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, U.S., to watch the event, but experts say there is no chance of a collision – this time.

“I think perhaps the most important thing about this asteroid is that it reminds us that the threat from such objects is very real,” said Jonti Horner, an independent astronomer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

The destructive force of an atomic bomb

It is important to monitor all asteroids that pass close by in case any are on a collision course with Earth. NASA has identified 4,700 asteroids that are potential threats to us, some of which are up to two or three kilometres in diameter.

Any asteroid likely to collide with Earth must have its composition and structure analysed so that it can be deflected, according to a statement from UCF.

A collision with even a small asteroid could be disastrous, with an impact from 2012 DA14 estimated to equal the destructive force of an atomic bomb. “The world’s most famous impact crater – the Barringer Crater in Arizona, U.S. – which is about 1,200m in diameter and 170m deep, was formed when an object thought to have been just 50m in diameter hit the Earth,” said Horner.

“An incredibly near miss”

“While it’s not unusual for asteroids to come close to the Earth, there are a couple of reasons the approach of this one is particularly exciting for astronomers,” said Horner.

“Having a 45m space rock pass under 30,000km from the Earth is an incredibly near miss in astronomical terms, which should mean we can learn a great deal about it as it tears past the Earth,” he said.

Asteroids offer valuable insight into the formation of our Solar System, according to Humberto Campins who is an asteroid and comet expert at UCF and led the first team to discover ice on an asteroid in 2010.

The asteroid will not pass through our atmosphere and so is unlikely to break up. However, “forces from Earth could change its shape if it is a rubble pile and not a single rock. At this time we do not know which of those two it is,” added Campins.

Any change in the composition or shape of the asteroid has the capability to alter its path, which could see it come even closer to Earth in the future.

The asteroid will be too faint to see with the naked eye, although it will be visible through binoculars or a telescope. Additionally, live feeds from telescopes in Spain will offer the public the chance to witness the event.

Published on Jul 8, 2012 by

Apple products are widely popular through-out Australia, so when Sydney student Mahsa Javam walked into an Apple store in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill, she didn’t expect to be told by a staff member that because she had an Iranian background, she couldn’t buy anything in the store.

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