Severe tropical Cyclone LUA

G'day Ma,Pa & Gus.

Thanks for the thoughts, I can testify to having to ride out several severe Cyclones over the past 20 odd years in Newman, none of them can be predicted with any certainty and I guess the next 12 to 24 hours will see to that. What I can say with absolute certainty is that some of the new buildings that have sprung up over the past five or so years are looking rather vulnerable with large free standing carports on skinny legs.

There is an unusual amount of effort going into tying sea containers down in the "construction zones" around town and the SES and the local Constabulary are circulating around the town more than ever.

The ants are exceptionally active and I might have to resort to chemical warfare to keep them out of the house.

The Jigalong Community which is around 160kms east and in land from Newman has been put on yellow alert, so the system is predicted to track deep into the desert region.

Time to go and fill the wheely bin with water, if I don't it may not be here after the blow !

Cloud Break is the one on my mind at the moment, have got a son up there.
Hope all goes well for every one.
Cheers
D

Hi Dunworkn
Hope so Too.
Lua is strengthening. Those permanent places up there would have to have really good cyclone shelters, especially for the essential staff who must stay behind.

Yesterday I was hoping it would weaken but it hasn't, not much on the news news down here though ,Only Online.

The animals must go crazy.
In one news clip, I watched a bird looking out to sea & a human further up the beach..I reckon the bird was leaving it a bit late to leave!. Of course it might know something we don't ? or it's an adrenalin junkie.
Bye for now. Ma.

I suspect FMG may have learned a lesson from Cyclone George in 2007, and either ensured Cloudbreak has proper cyclone shelters, or else evacuated. It was FMG's construction camp near Yandeyarra (RV1) that was wiped out in 2007.

Spoke to son this morning, he feels confident that the camp will withstand the force of the cyclone which has now been downgraded to cat 3 and will probably be cat 1 or just a rain baring depression by the time it reaches them. Cloudbreak was getting a fair amount of rain and strong winds this morning so it's only going to get worse I guess.
I agree with you wendys, I'm sure they've learned their lesson from that one but a hard lesson to learn.
Cheers
D

Highly doubt they learnt any thing except theres no consequences for actions

leaving those people there to die like that,

how people never went to jail over that ill never know

and to set the record straight FMG never took ANY responsability for that - just shifted the blame onto contractors

The official cyclone rating building codes that were in force at the time of building the camps had RV1 located in an area where buildings had to be able to withstand a Category 1 cyclone. The portable accommodation dongas were in fact rated to Category 3. Unfortunately, George was almost a Cat 5. Until quite late in the piece, it was actually forecast to slide down the coast, then it did an abrupt U turn and came onshore.

The day to day administration/operation of the camp was the responsibility of Spotless Services, who had managers in place. The camp was not occupied by FMG staff, per se, but groups of employees of various sub contractors who were building the railway, each with their own bosses. In a sense, there was a spread of authority.

A Category 1 cyclone had already affected Hedland and the Camp area, over the new year period, and it did no more than make the ground muddy. I suspect that may have created what turned out to be a false sense of security.

Hi getoutmore,
Your reply to Dunworkin, came thru to me as a member.
I'll probably make a fool of myself again!
Being way down here in S.,W. Vic, we don't hear much from up there.
Obviously something awful but what happened?
Take care, safe travels.
Bye for now Ma.

Thank you wendys.
Google was my friend & you've enlightened me on how it happened.
Very sad.
Winds change the course of fires down here too & unexpected tragedy also occurs, for the same reasons.
It's so unpredictable.
They have all these inquiries but I don't think they address the main issues well enough.
Take care, safe travels. Bye for now. Ma.

It's around 1,449 Klms from Adelaide River to Pardoo, Cyclones are not that big.


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Yes Doug,
I expected some one to tell me that, I realized it after I wrote it! My brain hasn't been in gear lately, too many other things worrying it.
These people aren't in Adelaide River Town ship they're west of it & near the Adelaide River.
Thanks for letting me know the exact distance. There's not much news about it on the radio down here.
We certainly hope there is never a cyclone that big!
Take care, safe travels.
Bye for now Ma.

looks like my od worksite copped a direct hit. The old Blue Spec Mine. We narrowly missed copping it from George which was lucky as its just a 20 year old mine camp with no way out once the Nullagine river flows