Dear All,
             My best wishes to all of you affected by the huge storm in the
USA. I hope you are all safe. Trudy tells me the US is getting almost no
news about anything except Egypt. In case some of you have heard about the
huge category 5 storm bearing down on Queensland, we are well south of it
but are very worried about friends and relatives. 
The storm is a low category 5 but has the potential to intensify further
before it hits the coast. It is heading for the city of Cairns but is so
huge that the cities of Townsville, 175 miles south, and Mt Isa 700 miles
inland will experience category 2 winds and about a metre of rain in 24
hours. The rain system will go across the country and drench South Australia
and parts of flood ravaged Victoria. Storm surge on the coast of North
Queensland could be 5 metres. There will be 10 hours of destructive winds,
an hour in the eye and then another 10 hours of winds. Winds are just rising
now in Cairns which is 1000 miles north of here, even though it is in the
same state. The satellite images look just like the ones I remember on TV
when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans during our 2005 stay in DC.
The weather bureau is saying this cyclone "is likely to be more life
threatening than any experienced during recent generations".
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/02/3127394.htm 
http://au.news.yahoo.com/cyclone-yasi/a/-/article/8759255/lethal-cyclone-hit
s-category-five/ 
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8205143/yasi-most-devastating-in-queensl
ands-history 
Luckily for flood-ravaged Brisbane where I live, little of the rain is
likely to get to us. That said my work place, the Queensland Museum South
Bank and indeed most of the Queensland Cultural Centre, remains closed till
at least next week. I am stuck at home using up my recreation leave, of
which I luckily have plenty.
Geoff

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