Topic: Australia: Under Water? (Read 13073 times)

jwhouk · « **on:** 11 Jan 2011, 21:37 »

I know some of our posters are from the Land Down Under; hopefully no one's underwater as well?

EDIT: Name changed. Thread's intent was of general concern for those posters in the midst of the flooding.

Tom · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 21:46 »

Can we please not use "Down Under" anymore?

David_Dovey · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 21:49 »

Good thread everyone, lock please.

calenlass · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 21:49 »

What's wrong with Down Under? Is this a thing people don't like? What about Oz?

Verergoca · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 21:57 »

Down under might also refer to someones crotch maybe?

Lunchbox · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 22:19 »

Down Under and Oz are both awful terms. Use 'Australia,' it's lovely.
None of us are under water, Jodie has had a few scares but so far we know she is okay. The floods will continue for months though.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 22:39 »

Basically you guys, a lot of Australians are uncomfortable with things like "Oz" or "Down Under" not because those terms themselves are inherently bad but because it tends to come wrapped up in a package with the whole range of incredibly annoying stuff that people associate with Australia, much to pretty much every Australian ever's chagrin e.g; Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee, the complete inability of anyone ever to credibly impersonate the Australian accent, and such and such.

Tom · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 22:50 »

Australian's are deeply concerned with trying to appear respectable. The only thing we are ever drowning in are post-penal neuroses and aspirations of upper middle class respectability.

Jimmy the Squid · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 22:52 »

And currently rising flood waters.

Inlander · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 23:01 »

A very large and fairly heavily populated part of Australia is flooding, however it's by no means the entirety or even the majority of the country. Here's a handy map:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/qld-floods/default.htm

Jimmy the Squid · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 23:08 »

Hey apparently there is a bullshark hanging out in Ipswich so I really hope I don't see stuff on the news about people in Ipswich being eaten by a shark on their main street.

Akima · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 00:32 »

Thanks for the expression of concern. I at least live in Sydney, a long way from the affected area, and I'm not affected directly.

jodizzle · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 01:32 »

I'll repost these photos for this thread.

This was my city on Monday!

(The store next door to coffee club you can half see I frequent a lot and we know the guys quite well and they just refurbished it goddammit!)

Our derby annoucer lives here. Thankfully he wasn't home

This is looking out of McDonalds

Toowoomba has drained of water now - we are on a mountain after all. Unfortunately the people who have really been hit the worst are the ones between Ipswich and Toowoomba as far as I am concerned. they had the height of water (a wall of water that reached 19m at one point) and the force that we had. And they had NO warning. The river in Ipswich has peaked and will start receding. Brisbane is expecting to hit it's peak at 4am. It is bad there, and really bad in Ipswich, and really bad everywhere in Queensland really. There are 2 girls who run a derby shop in brisbane whose entire house (yes, the whole thing) is underwater and they lost EVERYTHING.

It is awful and makes me really sad

Watching the news makes me cry and that NEVER happens. 75% of the state has been declared a disaster zone. that is a large amount of land and people.

This cheers me up a bit

jodizzle · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 01:43 »

Also this was Ipswich today!

The Seldom Killer · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 02:04 »

Quote from: jodizzle on 12 Jan 2011, 01:43

Also this was Ipswich today!

Absolutely devasted by this news. I thought a shithole on the east cost of England has finally got it's comeuppance and then discovered it was only some place in Australia.

JD · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 16:13 »

Quote from: David_Dovey on 11 Jan 2011, 22:39

Basically you guys, a lot of Australians are uncomfortable with things like "Oz" or "Down Under" not because those terms themselves are inherently bad but because it tends to come wrapped up in a package with the whole range of incredibly annoying stuff that people associate with Australia, much to pretty much every Australian ever's chagrin e.g; Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee, the complete inability of anyone ever to credibly impersonate the Australian accent, and such and such.

Better than what the french get!

scarred · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 16:14 »

crikey

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 17:07 »

at least you guys don't have to wait for FEMA

glad y'all are okay!

jmrz · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 20:35 »

As Jodie said, 75% of QLD is a declared disaster zone. I found this on twitter the other day that gives you a better idea of HOW BIG A SPACE that is.

"75% of Queensland is now a national disaster area. That is, for international folks, about 2x size of Texas and 5x that of the UK."

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 20:46 »

Quote from: Ptommydski on 12 Jan 2011, 00:48

I blame Ricky Ponting.

No, this is definitely Hilditch's fault.

Kugai · « **Reply #20 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 22:15 »

How do you know that Warnie isn't responsable?

Take care guys and gals.

Patrick · « **Reply #21 on:** 12 Jan 2011, 22:20 »

Quote from: Tom on 11 Jan 2011, 22:50

Australians are deeply concerned with trying to appear respectable. The only thing we are ever drowning in are post-penal neuroses and aspirations of upper middle class respectability.

And then you guys go off and name your towns silly things like Gympie and Blackbutt. Nice try, pull the other one.

Non-jokingly, I really hope everybody in the affected areas is okay. I've got family friends in Brisbane who have been rendered homeless by the floods, and the most recent update was that they are alive and okay. But as a dude who has lived in flood-prone areas should know, things can change in the blink of an eye. You guys are certainly prominent in my thoughts and I truly, truly hope everybody comes out of this unharmed.

jeanramone · « **Reply #22 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 05:22 »

Yeah I'm here in Brisbane at the moment, luckily my suburb was saved from the flood, we are pretty high though: if we flooded the whole state would have been buggered.
Just a lot of cleaning up to do. I work at a pharmacy and a lady commented to me about the short staffing and how a lot of shops were closed and I said "Well, that's probably to do with all the flooding", and she literally looked at me like I was talking rubbish - doesn't anyone watch the news anymore or even go outside?? There's millions of dollars worth of damage out there =.=

blanktom · « **Reply #23 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 05:44 »

Those pictures are making me feel awful! I can barely even comprehend flooding of that magnitude...an area 5 times the size of the entire country I live in. Shit.

This is one of those times where I would normally post something jokey to help myself through the absolute horror I feel at the situation, but I can't bring myself to do it.

I hope everyone there is going to be okay.

McTaggart · « **Reply #24 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 08:37 »

Quote from: Kugai on 12 Jan 2011, 22:15

How do you know that Warnie isn't responsable?

Take care guys and gals.

Nah see Warnie would clearly be the saviour, why else would newspapers keep trying to get him back on the Australian cricket team?

valley_parade · « **Reply #25 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 08:56 »

Quote from: jmrz on 12 Jan 2011, 20:35

That is, for international folks, about 2x size of Texas "

But everything's bigger in Texas..

Dliessmgg · « **Reply #26 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 09:44 »

Getting flooded is so 2005.

jodizzle · « **Reply #27 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 14:05 »

Poor old NSW and Victoria are copping it now. Not on the same scale as up here, but still people getting evacuated etc.

Stupid rain and water and we only just got out of a 10 year drought for christs sake!

Verergoca · « **Reply #28 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 21:50 »

Jodie, even floodings like this might not solve the drought crisis. For that to happen, quite a lot of water has to be absorbed into the ground and/or marshy area's. All the water thats flooding through streets aint really doing that

Patrick · « **Reply #29 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 22:00 »

Floods. They're dicks. At very least they could make an attempt to be useful, but they're really not. It's one of the reasons floods are so tragic. Nothing can be really gained from them.

jmrz · « **Reply #30 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 22:08 »

Most of the flood plains are flooded, as is the farmlands and people's properties that raise cattle and sheep etc. From what I understand, the dams are all 150% fullish and they are having to empty them otherwise it will cause even more problems if they don't. There are dams down this way that are having the same problem. So even if we aren't completely out of drought, the situation is improving because the dams are now back at excessively high levels and that is much better them being empty (kind of).

Lunchbox · « **Reply #31 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 22:25 »

They say the thing that's causing the flash flooding is that the ground is so sodden no more can soak in. It has been raining for a few months as far as I know.

jodizzle · « **Reply #32 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 00:57 »

Yeah, here at least it has rained almost every day since like November. You can count the days it hasn't at least showered since then on two hands.

The drought is well and truly broken in Queensland, unfortunately it has broken so much the water has nowhere else to go!

Both what Jamie and Lunchy said are true!

MrBlu · « **Reply #33 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 01:59 »

Storage king has just put out an offer for those who live in Brisbane affected by floods for free storage, they have trucks and trailers available to help evacuate just call 1800storage.

- Things I see on Facebook.

jhocking · « **Reply #34 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 08:45 »

Quote from: Jimmy the Squid on 11 Jan 2011, 23:08

Hey apparently there is a bullshark hanging out in Ipswich

are you fucking serious

cripes

Verergoca · « **Reply #35 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 11:04 »

Ah, ok, that does help then. *hasnt read up on all the information*

Good luck with the cleanup though :/

Boro_Bandito · « **Reply #36 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 11:34 »

I love how the Wikipedia article for bull sharks has been updated for this already:

Quote

There are more than 500 bull sharks in the Brisbane River; one was reportedly seen swimming the flooded streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia during the tragic Queensland floods of late 2010/early 2011.

jodizzle · « **Reply #37 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 14:37 »

Yeah the bullshark thing was totally true as well. Just chillin in the streets. It didn't nom anyone though!

David_Dovey · « **Reply #38 on:** 14 Jan 2011, 22:47 »

Good bullshark, that's a good boy.

Anyway guys, Brazil is getting flooded now and by all reports a lot of people are missing and dead. I'm not sure if their floods are technically more sever or if they are just not as well-equipped to handle them (what with all the poverty and all) but people should maybe consider sending some money their way too, if they were planning to donate to any charities for the QLD floods and haven't yet done so.

jwhouk · « **Reply #39 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 00:56 »

Forgive my USA ignorance, but as this subject is somewhat close to my heart (I'll have to post MY photos of my city's downtown when it was underwater three years ago someday), what exactly is the reason why all that water is collecting? Is the area around Brisbane that much of a "bowl" that it's holding the water back from flowing to its natural outlet, or is it just that we're talking Biblical-Type flooding?

Barmymoo · « **Reply #40 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 01:16 »

I don't know any details but it certainly sounds like Biblical-scale flooding from what Jamie said about the scale of it. 5x the UK? That is a phenomenally huge amount of water.

jmrz · « **Reply #41 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 02:56 »

It's been raining pretty much every day since November. The natural outlets are getting so full that they are flowing into the smaller ones which are never this full and is causing flooding in areas where it ordinarily shouldn't. Due to the obscene amount of rain, the ground cannot hold anymore water and it has nowhere else to go. If it is similar to what happened in my city a few years back, the storm water drains and the natural outlets will be filled with debris which will block them, this gives the water no where else to go.

Rizzo · « **Reply #42 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 03:04 »

Plus Queensland is a natural floodplain...

JD · « **Reply #43 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 16:48 »

Y'all want some McDonalds'?

blanktom · « **Reply #44 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 17:28 »

Quote from: JD on 15 Jan 2011, 16:48

Y'all want some McDonalds'?

Man what the fuck is up with that music?

Seriously I am a little drunk and this is the first post I read since I got in. I'm not sure if I'll sleep now.

jwhouk · « **Reply #45 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 18:08 »

Fish heads, fish heads... FTW!

Patrick · « **Reply #46 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 12:43 »

That is indeed the creepiest damn music I ever heard. A villainous Alvin and the Chipmunks right there.

Dliessmgg · « **Reply #47 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 13:02 »

><HEAD>

JD · « **Reply #48 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 14:02 »

It's a silly old song

Eris · « **Reply #49 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 15:38 »

ViolentDove Nick linked to this on twitter, some before and after photos of Brisbane and surrounding areas. It really shows how much damage this is causing for the people there.

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Author Topic: Australia: Under Water? (Read 13073 times)