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Monday, May 14, 2018

The Wild Weather

Being atop a mountain is a fine position for a Tavern. When the rains come the water flows  away downhill and all we need to concern ourselves with are the windows, doors and roofs staying intact. This was made urgent the other night when the wind hit 140kmph. And the rain was going sideways in sheets.  

150mm of rain in just a few hours, beating out the average 43 for the whole month of May. The place remained intact though and as reported before we were left only with fewer customers, supplemented by rescue workers, electricity linesmen, and woodcutters.
Muddy aftermath


But those lower down the mountain - and that is my small mountain, not the big one, Mount Wellington - did not fare well.  The area that my small cave lodgings sits in took a hit from the waters flooding down the hillside. I and my stuff were safe enough though.  Others were not so fortunate.
A Neighbour's roof went with the wind.

The city fared far worse, what with the rivers coming off the big mountain. It was real wellington weather. Wellington boots.

It is not as though it was a Queensland Cyclone or anything. Nor a dam burst. But for Hobart it was bad and the bill will be horrendous. A state of emergency was declared and hopefully there will be assistance for all those driven from soggy homes and shops, which now have mud floors. 

Not a lot I can say, but I can show some snaps.

The university down the road from me took a big hit and students lost much work inside ruined computers.  Underground offices may not be a great idea.


























































































































































































There. 

I think you get the picture.

We are not in the " mine's bigger than your's " game on this small island. There have been worse and far worse elswhere and we can be thankful that such wild weather events are rare here. 

Drink to the better fortune of the folk who were so badly affected.  May they be back on their feet soon. We can expect the Insurers to drag their heels here as in every other spot in the world.

Pax

8 comments:

  1. What a mess, it will take time to clear up. Hopefully nobody got hurt!

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    1. The mess will take a while and fortunately no-one was killed or seriously injured as far as I know. Several folk were helicopered away from their spot on the end of a rope which was a bit of a highlight for them.

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  2. Thanks for the great update and pictures. Were people warned beforehand??

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    1. If they were, Lolly, I was not on the list. I think the Met-man later said it was not quite as expected. They foresaw winds and rain but nowhere near the extent.

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  3. And I'm supposed to be sailing down there.

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    Replies
    1. Slightly less fierce is what you will use. It will be long awaited.

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  4. Yep. Comes here every other year. We are STILL trying to repair the damage to our house after 2 years. It's the aftereffects on everyone's budget and life that is not talked about. The rebuilding. The repairing, and trying to keep up with ongoing inflation.

    What inflation? Hey, here in the U.S. the dollar is worth 50cents.

    Some say, weather wars are here to stay, but then, that would be a conspiracy.

    Hope you didn't get much damage.

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    Replies
    1. Personally I had little damage and life goes on, but the city is recovering and repairs are in hand. Some outlying areas to the north were cut off for days with bridges down and trees blocking roads. It took a week to get the power back to some places.

      Inflation is small in Oz. But taxes take a share. The Oz dollar is hovering around 75 US Cents. The real problem with 'disasters' is the foot-dragging by the Insurance companies.

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Ne meias in stragulo aut pueros circummittam.

Our Bouncer is a gentleman of muscle and guile. His patience has limits. He will check you at the door.

The Tavern gets rowdy visitors from time to time. Some are brain dead and some soul dead. They attack customers and the bar staff and piss on the carpets. Those people will not be allowed in anymore. So... Be Nice..