SW Pacific: Severe TC Larry (Ex TD 15)

[TexasStooge]

Looks like another TC is forming behind Larry. Seems that Ausy Land could get the famous double Whammy

Not good!!!

[Rod Hagen]

Is it likely that the damage caused by Larry is only overwhelmed by Tracy?

The worst one in Australian history, in terms of death toll, was Mahina , in 1899, which killed several hundred people when it wiped out the Bathurst Bay pearling fleet and local Aboriginal communities. It produced a 14 metre storm surge!

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Mahina

Cheers

Rod

[sfgal]

Aussie Mark

I am so sorry about the devastation caused by Larry. I just returned from Australia a few weeks ago; I absolutely love your country (and its citizens). I hope that it will recover quickly. I am heartbroken to think of the damage done to the Great Barrier Reef. (as well, of course, to the homes and businesses of Australians).

By the way, we were in Sydney for a week (we stayed at Bondi Beach and visited Jervis Bay, the BLue Mountains, Manly Beach and the city itself). You live in a gorgeous part of the world.

[brunota2003]

Hey, I just viewed a couple pics of a train blown over during the cyclone... my god...and another one right behind it...

[f5]

the media keeps saying Larry had 180 mph winds once i heard that i thought Mitch for a moment with Andrew type damage .but it sounds like its gust but i thought it was sustained winds.thats very misleading

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

It had about 120 knot sustained.

[P.K.]

Cyclone victims told to leave
From: AAP

March 21, 2006

RESIDENTS of far north Queensland communities ravaged by Cyclone Larry have been urged to leave until the areas can be made safe, as fallen power lines and unsafe buildings pose safety risks.
Prime Minister John Howard, who will tour the devastated area tomorrow, has promised federal government help to get affected communities back on their feet.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said residents who had somewhere else to go should consider leaving and stay away until essential services were restored.

Weather forecasters have warned of more wild weather for Queensland, with a second cyclone expected to approach the coast later this week.

Cyclone Wati is a category-two storm but is expected to intensify to a category three today.

It was 850km east-north-east of Mackay this morning and moving towards the coast at 25km/h.

Forecasters say Wati is expected to move towards Townsville for the next couple of days before turning sharply south on Thursday and tracking parallel to the Queensland coast.

"There should be some pretty wild weather between Mackay and Fraser Island later in the week," Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre senior forecaster Jeff Callaghan said.

Category-five Cyclone Larry brought widespread destruction to parts of the state's far north when it crossed the coast at Innisfail, south of Cairns, yesterday with winds of up to 290km/h.

Winds damaged thousands of buildings, wiped out most of the nation's banana crop, tore through fields of sugar cane, and downed thousands of kilometres of power lines.

About 100 people remain in emergency shelters as the clean-up operation begins in Innisfail and other hard-hit communities.

Military aircraft will fly to the area today to aid the effort, with 10 generators to be brought in to help restore power.

Mr Beattie said fresh water, meals, and tarpaulins would also be delivered to affected areas today.

Teams would try to restore electricity supplies and repair sewerage systems.

But Mr Beattie warned parts of the state faced a "long, slow" recovery.

"We've got a major problem in the sense that a lot of the power lines that we thought we could reconnect fairly quickly we won't be able to (because) there are transformers that are blown off poles," he told the Channel 7 from Innisfail, where he spent the night.

Mr Beattie said restoring essential services could take days and residents who could leave the area should seriously consider doing that.

With so much water lying around, there was a risk of outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, he warned.

Mr Howard pledged today to give communities what they needed to get back on their feet.

He urged residents not to despair, but acknowledged the economic impact of the cyclone would be severe.

"You've got all those tiny communities there dependent on certain industries which are very seasonal," he said.

"They struggle. Only one or two years out of five is any good if they're lucky, and then they get flattened by something like this. It's very hard."

But he assured residents: "The Federal Government will give what is needed to get these communities back on their feet.

"We just need a day or two to make a proper assessment of how the money can best be spent."

During his radio session, Mr Howard heard from farmers who had seen their livelihoods blown away.

One farmer, Patrick Leahy, president of the Australian Banana Growers' Council, told the prime minister he faced at least six months without an income following the destruction of his banana crop near Tully.

"It was devastating to sit in my house and watch my crop just slowly ... go to the ground," Mr Leahy said.

"All of us are going to have financial hardship.

"We're going to take at least $300 to $350 million out of the economy of north Queensland over the next nine months."

Larry is no longer a cyclone and is classified as a severe low pressure system, now between Mount Isa and Normanton.

It was bringing some gusts to the area but was expected to peter out completely as it moved towards the Northern Territory border, the weather bureau said.

Queensland Education Minister Rod Welford said about half of all school closed yesterday would reopen today.

"Many students in the outlying areas will still have difficulty getting to school through road closures and other problems of access," he said on ABC radio.

A spokesman for the Insurance Disaster Response Organisation urged those affected to call them as soon as possible.

"It may be a little time before loss adjustors can get into the area but certainly it's important to start the process if people are able to do that," he said.

Authorities yesterday said 30 people had suffered minor injuries during the cyclone, mostly from flying debris. Remarkably, no one was killed.

With AAP and The Australian

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18544872-2,00.html

[CajunMama]

Katrina taught Aussies how to handle storm

By ROHAN SULLIVAN
Associated Press Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- The emergencies were startlingly similar: a huge, swirling storm bearing down on coastal areas with frightening inevitability. Within a few hours of the most powerful cyclone in decades hitting Australia's northeastern coast Monday, state and federal governments had declared a state of emergency, prepared Black Hawk helicopters to run rescue missions and announced cash payouts for victims.

Emergency relief officials said they had studied the response to Hurricane Katrina last year - and learned what not to do.

The storms - hurricanes are called cyclones in the region - looked and felt the same, down to naming rights. This one was called Larry.

But the scale of destruction didn't compare with that of Katrina when it slammed into the Gulf Coast last August, flooding New Orleans and leaving tens of thousands of people stranded for days.

Larry roared ashore at 180 mph on a coastal belt where one-pub towns have sprung up between sugar and banana plantations. The crops were flattened at a cost to farmers of millions, local officials said. Innisfail, a town of fewer than 10,000 people, suffered most with roofs lifted from scores of homes.

But there was no offshore oil industry to be disrupted, as happened on the Gulf Coast. And the region's biggest draw, the diving mecca of the Great Barrier Reef, escaped largely undamaged. And - remarkably, officials said - there were no deaths and only minor injuries.

Australian officials were leaving no room for the outcry about a lack of preparedness and lackluster response that engulfed the White House in the weeks after Katrina, which sent President Bush's approval ratings plummeting.

The Queensland State Emergency Service began issuing public warnings Saturday, and stepped up the effort throughout the weekend, spokesman Ben Creagh said.

After daybreak, Queensland state leader Peter Beattie declared a state of emergency, allowing federal authorities to get involved.

Prime Minister John Howard sent aides to meet with emergency relief officials, military chiefs and government lawyers to plot a rescue and cleanup strategy.

By Monday afternoon, the Australian Defense Force had announced helicopters were standing by near Innisfail to fly in a medical team and rescue missions to bring victims out, if necessary. Soldiers were ready to purify water supplies and clear roads.

Howard also announced a cash payment of $720 for each adult and $400 for each child who lost their homes - an initial response that was expected to burgeon quickly to millions of dollars in aid.

On the Gulf Coast, the response was similar, though far from what was needed.

New Orleans undertook the largest evacuation in its history in a mostly orderly fashion. The National Guard in the coastal states put troops, relief supplies and equipment into position before Katrina hit. Power companies sent in trucks to repair damaged power grids. Relief agencies like the American Red Cross and federal emergency planners moved food, gasoline and first-aid into the hurricane zone.

The problem for the Gulf Coast was the response did not match the unprecedented needs after flood walls and levees that defend New Orleans broke. With more than 70,000 people stranded in the city, resources were stretched to the breaking point and relief could not get in fast enough.

The flooding of New Orleans revealed shortcomings in the nation's ability to deal with a major catastrophe in a metropolitan area. It also has prompted soul-searching among business and political leaders who hope to avoid a repeat of the devastation of Katrina, which killed more than 1,300 people.

Creagh conceded it was difficult to compare Australia's cyclone with Katrina, citing flooding as one big difference.

"Everyone here studied Katrina and took a lot of messages away, a lot of lessons," Creagh said. "There was absolutely no complacency at the planning level at all, and I think that shows."


http://tinyurl.com/eaj2n

[f5]

Katrina left a darn good political legacy,Sorry FEMA i didn't mean to offend you

[HurricaneBill]

Well, it's good to see some good come out of Katrina.

Plus, Australia had a Cyclone Katrina in 1998. Correct me if I'm wrong, but was that Katrina one of the longest lasting cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere?

[aerojad]

looks like a mid-range Cat 3, but winds gusted to Cat 5 strength

[Ixolib]

Katrina taught Aussies how to handle storm

And of course, the only city mentioned in the article is N.O. Again, the MS Coast remains forgotten - even in the international media...

But I guess that's more understandable than being forgotten in our own stateside media...

Agreeably though - and back on topic - the good that came from Katrina for the Australians is really a great thing. Hopefully the same will take place here in the States should we have another major landfall this or subsequent hurricane seasons.

[HURAKAN]

I hope Larry stays with the record of being the worse tropical cyclone/hurricane/typhoon of 2006.

[Ixolib]

I hope Larry stays with the record of being the worse tropical cyclone/hurricane/typhoon of 2006.

Interesting observation... And good point.

[AussieMark]

Banana prices to double

BANANA prices are expected to double after Cyclone Larry wiped out 80 per cent of Australia's crop.

Growers have already begun laying off workers, with job losses in north Queensland expected to be as high as 4000.
The devastated industry warned today that prices could hit $6 a kilogram in shops – double the present top retail price of about $3.

Cyclone Larry ploughed through Australia's biggest growing region yesterday morning, wrecking plantations and destroying more than 200,000 tonnes of fruit worth $300 million.

The Australian Banana Growers Council said the bulk of the industry's production would be in ruins for about a year, and shoppers could be paying hefty prices as the fruit becomes scarce.

"They're certainly going to go up and go up dramatically, I'd suggest," council chief executive Tony Heidrich said.

"But I think they will hit a point at which buyer resistance comes into play.
"I think $6 a kilo is realistic and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go higher as time goes on."

The disaster had had an immediate impact on jobs, Mr Heidrich said.

"I spoke to a big grower this morning who's already laid off three quarters of his staff," he said.

"There's going to be massive job losses and that'll flow through to the communities."

Australia now faces a nationwide shortage of bananas, with 95 per cent of the fruit grown in Queensland and nearly all of that produced in the state's north.

Northern New South Wales is the next biggest growing region, followed by Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Australia does not import bananas, due to concerns about biosecurity.

Mr Heidrich said it would be a long road to recovery for the industry.

"We'll start to see the first flush of fruit about nine months from now, but certainly most growers won't be coming back into production for 12 months," he said.

"Then probably another 12 months on top of that before all farms are back into full production."

Council vice president Nicky Singh, a grower at Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, said Australia's other banana growing districts would not be able to meet demand.

"We won't be able to take up the slack," he said.

"It's going to be a very big void and we won't be able to fill it."

Mr Heidrich said growers had confirmed yesterday's estimates of 90-per-cent crop losses in the Innisfail and Tully areas, and further heavy losses in the Atherton Tablelands.

The cyclone had destroyed as much as 230,000 tonnes of fruit, he said, and the infrastructure damage bill would also be high.

The Banana Growers Council will hold a phone conference with its members today to discuss options for industry assistance in the wake of the disaster.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

I see larry liked fruit!

[AussieMark]

Cyclone bill could hit $1bn: MP

THE repair bill for homes, businesses and farms devastated by Cyclone Larry could top $1 billion, Independent MP Bob Katter said today.

Mr Katter, whose sprawling electorate of Kennedy covers the worst hit area of north Queensland, said the Federal Government must contribute at least $250 million to the devastated agriculture sector.
He said the regions around the hardest hit towns of Innisfail and Tully, south of Cairns, were still without water and power supplies, and the sewerage system was collapsing.

"The cost, I would think, would run to hundreds of millions in Powerlink and Ergon (electricity distributors)," he told Southern Cross Radio.

"And then you've got $300 million maybe besides that in the banana industry, maybe $200 million or more in the sugar industry.

"That's before you get to the houses and buildings where there'd have to be another $200-300 million I would think."

Mr Katter said he had experienced 15 cyclones during his 20 years as a politician.
"But nothing prepared me for when I drove into town (Innisfail) yesterday," he said.

"We drove through the banana fields of Australia – 95 per cent of Australia's bananas come from Tully and Innisfail – and there was not a single solitary tree standing upright.

"There wouldn't be a single tree that will bear fruit.

"They will have to be taken out and new trees put in. That is 12-15 months before you are back into any sort of production."

Mr Katter said he had long advocated a national insurance scheme and even if that paid out $250 million, it would still be considerably less than Australia's international agricultural competitors received every year through subsidies and tariffs.

He said he would ask John Howard for help for the region during the Prime Minister's planned visit to the region tomorrow.

"We will have some sort of idea of our losses and we will just have to be putting a proposal to him," he said.

"Our competitors have 49-per-cent subsidies, every one of our overseas competitors in agriculture. We have about four to five and that is reducing because the levy is vanishing. That would translate into $250 million for these sugar and banana farmers."

Mr Katter said it appeared that at least one in five houses, and possibly one in three, was partially or completely unroofed.

"Then we have got the loss of the tourism industry. The tourism industry is based upon the banana pickers, the young backpackers, young glamorous sort of people. Of course it will be devastated as well," he said.

Earlier today, Mr Howard pledged the Federal Government would give cyclone-hit communities what they needed to get back on their feet.

He admitted the financial impact of the storm would be severe.

[AussieMark]

Cyclone experts to study damage

EXPERTS will be sent to Innisfail to investigate whether far north Queensland homes are being built to withstand big natural disasters such as Cyclone Larry.

David Henderson, manager of James Cook University's cyclone testing station, said a team of four would leave Townsville tomorrow to survey the extent of damage the town had suffered from the category five storm.
He said building codes and standards for far north Queensland homes could be upgraded depending on the outcome of the investigation.

"Obviously we learn a lot of information from these devastating events to make sure current building regulations are up to scratch, if product manufacturers and the products we're putting on our housing are able to withstand these events, and ... if our standards need to be increased," Mr Henderson said.

"It may be an issue of updating codes or standards."

Winds of up to 290km/h destroyed buildings, uprooted trees, downed powerlines and ruined banana and sugar cane crops in and around Innisfail, which bore the brunt of Larry's fury yesterday.

Mr Henderson said new homes in north Queensland were required to be built to withstand category-four cyclones.
Building codes and standards were tightened after devastating Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin on Christmas Day 1974, killing 71 people and destroying more than 70 per cent of the city's buildings.

"One of our tasks will be to try and get an idea of what the wind speeds actually were at the house level by looking at both structures by their response to the wind and back calculating," Mr Henderson said.

"We'll obviously need to get that information out as quick as we can to the building regulators, the designers, and the product manufacturers" to make sure any problems are resolved.

John Holmes, a Melbourne-based engineering and structural design specialist, last year raised concerns about building standards in far north Queensland, saying building safety had not advanced since Cyclone Tracy.

[wxmann_91]

I see larry liked fruit!

Then that means my dad will have good health.

[AussieMark]

Bush offers Larry victims help

US President George W Bush has offered American help for cyclone-devastated far north Queensland.

Mr Bush made the offer in a personal phone call to Prime Minister John Howard this morning, after category five Cyclone Larry crossed the coast early yesterday morning.
Larry's 290km/h winds have left hundreds of people homeless, damaged thousands of buildings, and wiped out banana and sugar cane crops in and around the hardest-hit town of Innisfail.

But Mr Howard, who will tour the devastated region tomorrow, said Australia would be able to look after the recovery itself.

The two leaders spent 20 minutes on the phone.

"The president rang to express his concern about Cyclone Larry in north Queensland and to inquire about the extent of the damage," Mr Howard said in Melbourne.

"(He) said that if there was any assistance we needed, the United States would be willing to provide it.
"Of course we are able, ourselves, to look after this.

"But it was a very generous, thoughtful gesture on his part and I thank him for it."

The Australian embassy in Washington has been flooded with offers of help and expressions of concern from American survivors of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans last year.

"I think the president, having gone through that experience, is conscious of the impact that these natural disasters can have on local communities," Mr Howard said.

"Fortunately we in Australia have not suffered any deaths. There have not been any fatalities and I hope that remains the case.

"There has been a lot of damage and I'll have the opportunity of inspecting that first-hand when I go to north Queensland tomorrow."

Mr Howard said it was too early to put a dollar figure on the extent of the damage, but he is expected to announce more federal funding during his visit.

"It's less than two days since the cyclone struck and at this stage it's altogether too early to start putting figures on it," he said.

"The damage has been extensive. The support will need to be significant and it will be."