January 2012 is luverly weather for ducks on the NSW North Coast - rain, river heights & roads info

Mann River at Cangai from The Daily Examiner

Latest River Heights for the NSW Mid North Coast

Issued at 6.15am on Wednesday, 25th January 2012

Latest River Heights for the NSW Northern Rivers

Issued at 6.15am on Wednesday, 25th January 2012

North Coast LGAs Regional Road information
Regularly updated

At 10:47 am EDT on Tuesday 24^th January 2012 the Bureau Of Meteorology said:

Flood Warnings are current the Bellinger Nambucca and Orara Rivers

At this stage there is a greater than 70% chance of Minor to Moderate flooding as well as local flash flooding along the following river valleys from Monday onwards:

1.Tweed River

2.Richmond & Wilson Rivers

3.Clarence River

4.Macleay River

5.Hastings River

This Flood Watch means that people living or working along rivers and streams must monitor the latest weather forecasts and warnings and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop. Flood Warnings will be issued if Minor Flood Level is expected to be exceeded at key sites along the main rivers for which the Bureau of Meteorology provides a flood warning service. Across NSW, about 75% of Flood Watches are followed by flooding.

Bellinger River from ABC News

UPDATE:

Latest Image Received at: 00:12 UTC/GMT Wed 25 Jan 2012

WST	CST	CDT	EST	EDT
08:12am	09:42am	10:42am	10:12am	11:12am
Wednesday	Wednesday	Wednesday	Wednesday	Wednesday

Issued at 10:55 am EDT on Wednesday 25 January 2012.

Weather Situation:

"Heavy rain and possible thunderstorms which may lead to flash flooding are forecast for the Northern Rivers forecast district, as well as eastern parts of the Northern Tablelands and northern parts of the Mid North Coast forecast districts.

In the six hours to 11am today the heaviest falls occurred in the Tweed Valley area, with 116 mm of rain recorded at Kingscliff, 105 mm at Murwillumba, and 101 mm at Chillingham. Slightly lower falls were recorded further south.

A Flood Watch is current for the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Nambucca, Macleay and Hastings river valleys.

Flood warnings are current for the Bellinger, Orara, Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Nambucca and Clarence Rivers.

For latest flood warning information, refer to www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/"

Buses or water wings for Yamba?

Yamba is a small coastal town at the mouth of the Clarence River estuary at the end of a wide flood plain.
There is only one road and one bridge leading out of this town which can take motorists towards the rest of the Clarence Valley and the wider world beyond.
It is regularly cut in at least three places by water during medium and large scale flooding.
According to the ABS Census 2011 promotional material there are around 6,465 souls currently living in the town and it would take 120 buses to move this population.
Sort of places Clarence Valley Council’s airy-fairy flood evacuation policy in a new light doesn’t it?
Hope everyone there is up to the very long swim to higher ground.

# Pic from The Daily Examiner showing an Yamba cut-off by flooding in 2009

Saffin invites Inquiry Into The Operation Of The Insurance Industry During Disaster Events to hear evidence on the NSW North Coast

Media release from the office of Janelle Saffin, Federal Labor MP for Page, on Thursday 16 June 2011:

PAGE MP Janelle Saffin has welcomed a new inquiry into how the insurance industry responds to natural disasters, including floods, storms and bushfires regularly experienced by Northern Rivers residents.

Ms Saffin has wasted no time in inviting the House of Representatives Standing Committee Chair, Graham Perrett MP, to hold public hearings in her electorate during the second half of this year.

“Our region is frequently affected by floods, storms and bushfires, sometimes several times a year, and there always is a mountain of paper work and phone calls for policy-holders to navigate,” she said.

“Some of my constituents have been less than satisfied with their insurance companies’ handling of claims or unacceptably long delays in having those claims assessed and finalised.

“This new inquiry will provide the insurance industry and consumers will an opportunity to make submissions on how the system can be streamlined or improved.”

The inquiry will examine the insurance industry in respect to extreme weather events, which due to Climate Change, are becoming more common.

It will consider:

· The information provided to consumers about claims processing arrangements.

· The timeliness of claims processing.

· The impact of third-party consultants on timeframes for claims processing, and

· External and internal dispute resolution processes.

Ms Saffin urged policy-holders who had made a disaster-related claim in the past five years to participate in the Committee’s on-line survey by visiting www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/spla/insurance/index.htm

Full terms of reference for the inquiry can also be found at this website. Individuals and organisations are invited to make submissions to the inquiry by Friday, July 15, 2011.

----------------------------

This Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs inquiry is also conducting an online survey:

To gauge community concerns relating to this inquiry, the Committee is conducting an online survey. The survey is targeting members of the community who have made a disaster-related claim on their insurance policies in the last 5 years.

Tell us about your experience of dealing with insurance companies in relation to disaster-related claims here.

Severe weather warning for Northern NSW 13 June 2011

 

Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Issued at 4:25 am EST on Monday 13 June 2011.

Weather Situation

A strong high pressure system west of Tasmania is moving very slowly east extending a ridge across southeastern and northwestern New South Wales and a low pressure trough is deepening off the central and northern coasts.

Heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding is forecast for the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and the east of the Northern Tablelands forecast districts during today.

Between 9am yesterday morning and 4am this morning, Evans Head received 160 mm of rain, Yamba 126 mm, Coffs Harbour 94 mm and Kempsey 76 mm.

The State Emergency Service advises that people should:

       Don't drive, ride or walk through flood water.

       Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.

For emergency help in floods and storms, ring your local SES Unit on 132 500.

The next warning will be issued by 11:00 am EST Monday.

       Flood Watch – Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Brunswick, Clarence, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Nambucca, Macleay, Hastings, Camden Haven, Manning and Macintyre regions.

       Flood Warning - Bellinger River,  

       Flood Warning - Orara River,

"mendacious, ugly, disgraceful and cringeworthy" - and that's just his good points!

I must confess myself astounded that Tony Abbott could be so foolish as to shake people down for a donation to his private cause at the same time as he is attempting to further that cause by threatening to deny funding to repair the damage from the Queensland floods. That he should do so while the most ferocious cyclone in recorded history bore down on the coastline of the same state, well, it was just … words fail me. We waited for the cataclysm to rake over the north of state like the blast front from a gigantic, slow moving nuclear bomb. An eerie, suspended interlude. Until Abbott punctured the moment with his ham-fisted partisan foolishness. [John Birmingham, National Times,3 February 2011]

LaurieOakes

Lib fundraising on back of Qld flood disaster as a devastating cyclone bears down will not earn Tony Abbott any credit. Deeply embarrassing. 11:02 PM Feb 1st via web

Mr Abbott's Odious Opportunism ……Tony's attempt to distance himself from the crass e-mail appeal doesn't impress either. [Sardonic Detachment Therapy,3 February 2011]

And this is what he has to say.
Observe the precision of his judgement, and the exquisite subtlety of his timing. [Still Life With Cat,2 February 2011]

No wonder Tony Abbott's percentages continue to look like this:

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is still preferred as Prime Minister (49%, up 3% since December 8-12, 2010) over Opposition Leader Tony Abbott (36%, down 3%) according to a special telephone Morgan Poll conducted over the last three days (February 1-3, 2011).
More electors approve of the way Julia Gillard is handling her job as Prime Minister (46%, down 3% since December 8-12, 2010) than approve of the way Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is handling his job (39%, down 11%).

Cartoon found at Nicholson Cartoons

Not amused, Premier

So Premier Kristina Keneally wants to shore up flagging support for NSW Labor by getting a close to free pass on the national flood levy for a good many Sydney-ites. We all know she’s an American by birth and outlook, but I guess few of us thought of her as a Liberal Party acolyte with only the merest passing pretence of Christian charity.

Disgusted
James Creek

* Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents. Email ncvguestpeak at gmail dot com to submit comment for consideration.

And the Opposition flood spin descends into farce

If you thought Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s ''It seems the Prime Minister is going to call this a 'mateship tax' but mates help each other. They don't tax each other.'' was the height of juvenile stupidity, then you are going to love his sidekick's response to the following statement by the Australian Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 26 January 2011:

First, we will deliver a one-off levy. It will not include lower-income earners.

A levy of 0.5 per cent will be applied on taxable income between $50,001 and $100,000 and a levy of 1 per cent will be applied on taxable income above $100,000. Anyone earning under $50,000 will not pay the levy.

In other words it is not like the Medicare Levy, which for most taxpayers applies to all their income – it is like income tax rates which apply only above certain income levels.

Under this levy, someone who has an income of $60,000 will pay just under $1 extra per week. A person earning $100,000 per year will pay just under an extra $5 per week.

The levy will apply only in the 2011-12 financial year and it will raise $1.8 billion.

People who were affected by the floods will not pay this levy.

Anyone who receives the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment for a flood this financial year will be exempt.

Shadow Treasurer and Liberal MP Joe Hockey on 27 January 2011:

It is patently absurd to tax homes that they themselves have been afflicted by the floods.
So their home's drifted down the river and now Julia Gillard comes along and says: good news guys, we're going to put a flood tax on you.

Gillard Government flood recovery package documents

Peter Martin once again proves that some journalists who also blog are good value, with this posting of the attachments to the Australian Government's Providing Flood Relief to Affected Communities unveiled during Prime Minister Gillard's National Press Club Address today as a downloadable Scribd document:

Complete Flood Package Documents

Queensland floods 2010-11: little wild roos hitch a ride

I'm taking this photograph at face value - I'm told it was taken in the Theodore area during the December 2010 - January 2011 Queensland floods and shows wild kangaroos willingly being transported to dry land.

Theodore was experiencing its worst flooding on record.

The Good Samaritans remain anonymous at the time of posting.

Keneally bombs in NSW floods leadership stakes

In NSW Premier Kristina Keneally only rated 13 per cent in the good leadership stakes re floods according to Essential Report 110124 24th January 2011.

Floods - Leadership

Q. Thinking about the recent floods across Australia, how would you rate each of the following for providing leadership in dealing with the floods?

	Total good	Total poor	Very good	Good	Average	Poor	Very poor	Don't know
Prime Minister Julia Gillard	42%	23%	15%	27%	28%	10%	13%	7%
Opposition leader Tony Abbott	19%	32%	4%	15%	36%	19%	13%	13%
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh	77%	6%	52%	25%	11%	3%	3%	6%
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh (Qld)	71%	9%	48%	23%	17%	2%	7%	3%
Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman	61%	4%	28%	33%	16%	2%	2%	19%
Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman (Qld)	75%	7%	46%	29%	14%	2%	5%	4%
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu	34%	8%	8%	26%	26%	4%	4%	32%
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu (Victoria)	47%	12%	10%	37%	27%	6%	6%	14%
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally	21%	23%	4%	17%	28%	11%	12%	29%
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally (NSW)	13%	40%	4%	9%	30%	18%	22%	18%

Nationally, 42% think the Prime Minister Julia Gillard provided good leadership and 23% poor – while the Opposition leader Tony Abbott was rated good by 19% and poor by 32%. In Queensland Julia Gillard rated 42% good/26% poor.

Nationally the Queensland Premier Anna Bligh was rated 77% good/6% poor and in Queensland 71% good/9% poor. The Mayor of Brisbane Campbell Newman was rated a little lower nationally (61%/4%) but slightly higher in Queensland (75%/7%).

In Victoria, the Premier Ted Bailieu was rated 47% good/12% poor and in NSW, Premier Kristina Keneally was rated 13% good/40% poor

I can almost see the demand for bigger, better Clarence River levee walls starting

On 21 January 2010 The Daily Examiner ran articles pointing to the findings of a paper presented at 47th Annual Floodplain Management Authorities Of NSW Conference on 27 February–2 March 2007 at Gunnedah, titled BIG LEVEES – ARE THEY A GOOD IDEA?, authored by Drew Bewsher & John Maddocks of Bewsher Consulting Pty, Ltd, Sydney and Ian Dinham of Clarence Valley Council, Grafton.

One of these newspaper articles was careful to inform Clarence Valley residents that overtopping existing levees would have a warning period of only hours:

The paper states that the amount of time communities had to respond varied from town to town. In Maclean, modelling suggests the 100-year flood would overtop the levee there within just three hours.
Grafton comes out a bit more fortunate, taking about 10 hours before the town became inundated with water.

While the conference paper in question did point to some levee wall risk factors (see below), it finally came out in favour of the idea of levee walls in the final paragraph; This is not to say that we shouldn’t build big levees. Depending on site limitations.

Almost as a matter of course it totally ignored the fact that these upriver levee walls make unprotected downriver small villages like Iluka and Yamba more vulnerable during major flooding.

I think it was no accident that at least one Clarence Valley shire councillor made a rather gullible local journalist (renowned for rarely seeking alternative viewpoints) aware of this conference paper – it certainly paves the way to lengthen or create new upriver levees, despite the numerous qualifications it contains.

The former of these two gentleman would be well aware that community pressure on the back of national debate will demand more, not less, physical protection as populations unrealistically squat on ancient floodplains and, it is highly unlikely that either he or his fellow councillors will deny these demands with that last paragraph cop out just waiting to be quoted in any debate within the Chamber.

The Impact of Levees on the Flood Risk

Levees are built to reduce the flood risk to a community. They may be particularly useful in eliminating small or nuisance floods, and depending on their height, may also havesome success in mitigating larger floods. The flood risk to the community ‘protected’ bythe levee is reduced – up to the point that the levee is overtopped or it fails. After thispoint, there may be rapid inundation of the previously ‘protected’ area and deep inundation depths, resulting in a very high flood hazard to residents and occupiers of the area. In some cases, evacuation routes may be cut at an early stage, leaving occupants isolated and trapped in extremely dangerous conditions. In smaller catchments, there may be little warning that the levee will overtop, and virtually no time for the community torespond. There is also the threat of catastrophic levee failure, either before overtoppingor shortly afterwards.When the levee does overtop, the risk and threat to life will nearly always be greater (and often significantly greater) than when there was no levee. When the probabilities and consequences of all sizes of floods are considered, those thatovertop the levee and those that don’t, it may be that in some levee situations where the consequences of overtopping are disastrous, that the levee actually represents a netincrease in flood risk, not a reduction. Clearly where high levees are already ‘protecting’ extensive urban areas andcommunities are complacent about the consequences of overtopping, public awarenessinitiatives are essential to initially establish, and to then maintain the community in a ‘floodready’ state so that the flood risks can be mitigated.

One response to urban sinkholes caused by flood waters in the Clarence Valley

Jules Faber cartoon in The Daily Examiner 17 January 2011.
Jules professional résumé can be found at JulesFaber.com

Senator Eric Abetz - the gift that just keeps on giving

This is an excerpt from an Australian Liberal Party Federal Senator Eric Abetz media release on 17 January 2011, in which he demonstrates that he is a serious history buff:

“To imply climate change is responsible for flooding is to deny the World’s history from Noah and beyond.”

Does this mean that when flood mitigation measures are inevitably discussed in the Senate later this year that Abetz might be recommending funding local government areas to build wooden arks for residents and ratepayers?

Image from Google Images

And where was Tony?

TwitPic

And where was Tony Abbott? Oh, he was doing doorstops, filmed walkabouts and radio interviews playing at 'flood' politics.
Before that? Well he was doing the odd 'flood' interview while on holidays.
Definitely a talker not a doer when it doesn't involve wearing lycra or showing off the navel.

Slightly stir-crazy in Yamba, January 2011

Locals are quietly smiling at the fact that Clarence Valley Council set up a road block just out of town.

Rumour has it that after endless rain then flood, tourists just wanted to go home - please!

Unfortunately they wanted to take the family cars and caravans though flood water coursing over a narrow river causeway which is one section of the only road which ties the village to the outside world.

Yamba Road is expected to be open today.

Photo from The Daily Examiner

Oh, Germaine! It can't be the tyranny of distance at work - you're just around the corner

A hat tip to Clarrie Rivers for sending this Germaine Greer quote concerning the Clarence Valley flooding in January 2011:

An eight-metre levee has kept the town of Grafton dry, though the Clarence river is in massive spate, but Yamba, further downstream has no levee and is under water.

Actually Germaine, Yamba stayed relatively dry even if flood waters had cut it off from the rest of the New South Wales North Coast.

That’s because it had stopped heavily raining in the catchment about 36 hours before the flood peak came past this little coastal town during a very low tide period on its way out to sea.

Germaine presumably was submitting her copy electronically to The Guardian U.K. from somewhere in Queensland and did not think to click onto the Australian Bureau of Meteorology website to double check her ‘facts’.

Google's visual aid to Australian January 2011 flooding

Google Australia Floods Map 16 January 2011 as flooding moves southwards

How Eastern Australia begins its Saturday 15 January 2011

From the Bureau of Meteorology webpage National Warnings Summary:

Queensland

Warnings current:

High Seas Warning for TC Zelia,

Tropical Cyclone Information Bulletin for TC Zelia,

Ocean Wind Warning from Fiji,

Ocean Wind Warning from NZ,

Flood Warning - Fitzroy River,

Flood Warning - Burnett River,

Flood Warning - Mary River,

Flood Warning - Lockyer, Bremer, Warrill & Brisbane below Wivenhoe.,

Flood Warning - Logan-Albert,

Flood Warning - Condamine-Balonne Rivers,

Flood Warning - Macintyre/Weir,

Flood Warning - Moonie River,

Flood Warning - Thomson/Barcoo/Cooper Ck,

Queensland flood warning summary,

Forecast Track Map (QLD) for TC Zelia.

NSW and ACT

Warnings current:

Coastal Waters Wind Warning for New South Wales waters between Port Stephens and Point Perpendicular, between Moruya Heads and Gabo Island,

Cancellation of Severe Weather Warning for Snowy Mountains forecast district,

Flood Warning - Richmond/Wilsons,

Flood Warning - Clarence River,

Flood Warning - MacIntyre River,

Flood Warning - Macquarie River,

Flood Warning - Bogan River,

Flood Warning - Murrumbidgee River,

Flood Warning - Murray River,

Flood Warning - Culgoa, Bokhara, Narran,

Flood Warning - Warrego River,

Flood Warning - Barwon-Darling US Bourke,

Norfolk Island Tropical Cyclone Advice for TC Vania,

Ocean Wind Warning 1 - South Eastern area.

Victoria

Warnings current:

Coastal Waters Wind Warning for Victorian waters between Mallacoota and 60nm east of Gabo Island,

Brown Rot Advice for Northern Country, North Central and North East forecast districts,

Cancellation of Severe Weather Warning for East Gippsland and North East forecast districts,

Flood Watch for Greater Melbourne,

Flood Watch for Barwon, Hovells Creek and Otway Ranges,

Flood Watch for the Glenelg and Hopkins Basins,

Flood Watch for North East Victoria,

Flood Watch for the Goulburn and Broken Basins,

Victoria Flood Warning Summary,

Flood Warning - Maribyrnong River,

Flood Warning - Yarra River,

Flood Warning - Dandenong,

Flood Warning - Werribee River,

Flood Warning - Barwon River,

Flood Warning - Hopkins River,

Flood Warning - Glenelg River,

Flood Warning - Ovens and King Rivers,

Flood Warning - Broken River,

Flood warning for Seven Creeks / Castle Creek,

Flood Warning - Goulburn River,

Flood Warning - Campaspe River,

Flood Warning - Loddon River,

Flood Warning - Avoca River,

Flood Warning - Wimmera River,

Flood Warning - Murray River,

Ocean Wind Warning 1 - South Eastern area.

Tasmania

Warnings current:

Coastal wind warning 1,

Boating Weather - Wind Alert SW and Central Plateau Lakes,

Flood Warning Summary,

Flood Warning - Forth/Mersey,

Flood Warning - Meander,

Flood Warning - North Esk,

Flood Warning - South Esk,

Flood Warning - Macquarie,

Flood Watch Advice,

Severe Weather Warning 2,

Road Weather Alert,

Ocean Wind Warning 1 - South Eastern area.

This page last updated at:-
Friday January 14 2011 13:36 UTC (GMT) -- January 14 2011 21:36 WST -- January 14 2011 23:06 CST -- January 15 2011 00:06 CDT -- January 14 2011 23:36 EST -- January 15 2011 00:36 EDT