While my friends in the Northern Hemisphere have been battling snow and the freezing temperatures that come with a particularly cold Winter, we in Oz have been dealing with the problems that Summer brings us.
They are dealing with temperatures around 40 C and being told "to activate their bushfire plans. "
This means they have to decide to stay and attempt to fight the fires and protect their homes thus endandgering their own lives or flee - get out before the fires cut them off from safety.
The people from western New South Wales have been dealing with a very different problem
FLOODS !
Recently two farming regions in Australia’s eastern state of New South Wales have been declared natural disaster zones after days of torrential rains caused major flooding and cut off hundreds of residents.
People rode away in motorboats and farmers herded horses and cattle through the deep water to higher ground in an effort to save their stock.
In the north of Western Australia the residents have already dealt with the first cyclone of the season. They have been buffeted by 280 kilometre an hour winds. Ports have been closed and ships have been moved out to deeper water to ride out the cyclone.
Now they dealing with the damage caused by these destructive winds and rain.
And after Nature has finished there is still more to deal with.
Mosquitos - Authorities are now worried about an outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases like Ross River Fever.
"The mozzies are big grey ones and you walk outside and they cover all of your arms and your legs and they come in on your back - everybody is complaining about them," a resident reported.
People have been talking about the towns running out of Aeroguard !And now for the big finale !
A RED ALERT has been issued in Kununurra (WA ) as rains cause cane toad numbers to explode and the pests move to within 27km of the rural Kimberley town!
EVERYBODY hates these disgusting creatures !
And boy they can grow very BIG!
Not all of us are off enjoying a lovely Summer holiday at the beach.
Cheers.
(all photos and information today are from the Internet)
It seems nowhere has 'good' all the time! Those bushfires look seriously terrifying. What an awful decision to have to make. Thanks for this post because really made me think and feel grateful that we don't have such devastating weather conditions here in the UK. We moan at a little bit of snow! Those toads look monstrous!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments. I just love knitting socks! There's no sewing up, which is a bonus in itself and they are instantly useful. I wear them all winter inside my UGG boots. Once you've worn handknitted wool on your feet, there's no going back. The colours of the hand-dyed yarns are so amazing too. Sock knitting, as you have realised, is very popular in the UK. Part of the challenge is to try many of the different patterns. I LOVE them!
Hope your week has started well! Ros
That's just awful, all of it. We Brits have been bemoaning the snow for weeks now but when you put it into perspective it's laughable. And how fortunate you are, in Brisbane, not to have any of that to contend with.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd seen huge toads in Sicily but those are monsters. The one in the photo is the size of a toddler, how scary is that!
Take care.
Oh my goodness...monster toads! If things get too rough out there...come enjoy a little winter in Canada.
ReplyDeleteJust a warning Helsie. SA & VIC's hot weather has hit here today. And boy is it warm. Now I know how hot QLD can bE, so you better hope some winds from the west blow this heat out to sea
ReplyDeleteKeep cool
Sooooooo, very interesting today. Lots of facts to take in. That's the biggest frog I've ever seen, but kind of cool.
ReplyDeleteNow, about the Mosquitos.... I had West Nile Virus about 8 years ago from a bit. I'm terrified of those little guys now. Guess I'll wait and come visit in the winter....
I know you think I'm some kind of D.J. with all that music stuff over the last few post. I'm really not. Usually, I work in silence. In fact, I told Scooter last night, it's going to be about 5 weeks, before I turn my speakers on the computer back on with even a peep of quiet New Age, Classic or Easy Listening. Thanks, however, for hanging in there while it was going on. If I didn't have a blog to post about it, it wouldn't have been even a do able task. Back to normal, now... Thank goodness.
Keep the info coming,
The Garden Bell- Kate
Wow! Yes, I agree our snow is nothing. I just cannot believe the size of that little fella! Gosh I'd be panicking. I heard it on the News this morning about the extreme heat you had last night.
ReplyDeleteWe just can't win can we? One thing or another.
Great post Helen, interesting factual, thank you.
Hugs and Love Suex
Gosh Helen nowhere is paradise is it? Thank you for telling me about Australia I have learnt and am learning so much - and as for those toads!! eek!!! Suddenly snow and cold doesn't seem so bad! Kim x
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog. I cqn't believe those toads, oh my word, my old cat use to catch frogs in our garden they would eat him whole!
ReplyDeleteI hope you stay safe from all the awful weather, our snow is slowly going in the valleys, just left with slush!
Love
Lyn
xxx
What terrible weather. I had no idea this was going on. Sometimes we have had Australian bush fires on our news but they've said nothing this year. It's all politics, politics, politics, celebrities and some snow.
ReplyDeleteI never knew such giant toads existed. What do they do that is such a problem?
Hi Helsie,
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, I have never heard of a cane toad but if I saw one I would run as fast as I could in the opposite direction! What horrible monsters! You have a lot going on down under - you didn't mention earthquakes? Do you have them? I experienced my first one last year while sitting at my kitchen table here in PA. It was a small one but it was a very unsettling feeling. I've read that we can have them in the midwest but I never felt one before. And those poor people in Haiti - what they must be going through.
Teacup Lane (Sandy)