Spectacular Photos Of Lightning Strikes
November 19th 2008 04:33
Violent electrical storms struck the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast in the most destructive tempest in a decade, climaxing on Sunday night. Hundreds of lightning strikes and gale force winds felled trees, downed powerlines and tore the roofs off of dozens of houses, as so called ‘microbursts’ tore through some suburbs and left others unscathed.
Flash flooding, downed powerlines and fallen trees caused road closures throughout the affected regions, causing further havoc for overstretched emergency services personnel.
In a twist of fate the Ferny Grove Police Station was stuck by a fallen tree, but no one was injured.
Locals in one of the worst affected areas, in the Brisbane suburb of The Gap, said it was like a cyclone, as visibility was reduced to a few metres and the thunderous roar of the wind drowned out all else.
Councils are advising motorists not to attempt driving through floodwaters of unknown depth. As little as 45cm of floodwater can sweep a car off the road.
A 20 year old man was drowned and another narrowly escaped by clinging to a grate, when they were swept into a culvert while photographing the floodwater at Chermside.
State Emergency Services volunteers risked their lives searching the swollen waterways for the missing man whose body was found about 400m downstream.
An army of volunteers and emergency crews have been mobilized to assist stricken residents, including the Police, Fire Brigade, SES, and Energex.
SES crews arrived from as far afield as Gin Gin and Illawarra to help. Even low risk prisoners have been recruited into work details for the clean up.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd flew into Brisbane to assess the devastation, and authorized the use of Army personnel based at Ennogera Barracks to provide manpower and material.
Various City Councils are distributing tarpaulins, but many homes remain without water, power, and in some cases, roofs.
Restoration of services to some areas may take days and insurance companies are already counting the cost, which is expected to run into the millions.
| 40 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Cheryl J
Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Budget Centsability