Not Their Year
So, while Queenslanders are picking up the pieces after the two cyclones that followed hard on the floods, the Australians’ weather focus turns South to Victoria: Thousands call for help as storms lash Victoria
Severe thunderstorm warnings have been cancelled but wild weather continues to wreak havoc across large parts of Victoria as heavy rain pummels the state and forecasters say more chaos is yet to come.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has rescued 51 people and received about 3,000 calls for help after dozens of homes and businesses were flooded during super-cell storms last night.
Frequent commenter, Kryten, is in the middle of a move in Victoria, and has been out of contact waiting for the connection at his new place, so, it’s a matter of waiting and hoping for the best. 2011 is just over a month old, and Australians want to forget it already.
12 comments
I was wondering if you had heard from Kryten at all. I hope he is safe and sound.
He is quite capable of dealing with most things, but the storms will definitely tie up all of the installation and repair people for the utilities, so I don’t think he will get back on-line very quickly.
I know that there are problems where he was living, but I’m not sure how far he moved.
Bryan, I miss Kryten on your threads. A guy with his skills and history will surely survive just about anything nature can throw at him, but while he’s assuring that survival, he’s not offering his usual wit and wisdom around here. If anyone out there (Lady Min?) is in touch with him through whatever means, please let him know we all anxiously await his return.
If Australian utilities are anything like their US counterparts, I would assume that any spare technicians and line crews have been sent to Queensland to help people get back up and running. For Kryten, the annoying part is that he could do it himself if he had access.
Based on what has already happened this year, he is probably happy to be out of his old place, as it had some minor flooding problems from the early rains, so it would definitely be effected now. The town he was in has been “mentioned in dispatches” as having some problems. I’m not sure how far he has moved.
Hi all 🙂
Thanks for all the good wishes and kind words. They are sorely needed, and much appreciated. 🙂
The move was a nightmare (as expected). It was hot and very humid during the week of the move. I strained a muscle in my lower back, but it seems OK now. 🙂
Flooding has caused us some problems. And as Bryan correctly suspected, Telstra has made a bad situation worse. I’d organised the new phone/Internet service at the new address before I moved. However, the provider was forced to cancel it as the *infrastructure* to the new premises mysteriously vanished. Since the house had tenants who moved out a week before we moved in, and I know for a fact they had a working Phone/internet service, I immediately called Telstra and asked for a major *please explain*. I was told that if the service to the property was *available* (ie. it wasn’t currently in use), it may have been moved to a neighbor that requested a new service. And we would have to pay $299 to get a new line installed! On top of that, Telstra now only supplies a service with a phone plan on a minimum 12 month contract, and it would cost a further $100 to cancel the contract (to move to another provider). SO, after a week of contacting everyone I could think of, it turns out that this is all a load of dingo’s kidneys and I filed a complaint with the Telco Ombudsman, and Telstra have been fined $50k and told to behave or else.! As I said to the Ombudsman, this amounts to nothing less than extortion.
And after all that, I had to cancel the service anyway because… it seems we will be moving again to a new place in a few weeks because severe rain/winds on the weekend has seriously damaged the property we are in. On the plus side, the new house will be less than a km from the Exchange, and will be a permanent low-rent house, and is on high ground, so we shouldn’t have to move again for many years (weather permitting). 🙂
We didn’t move very far BTW, same suburb in fact. But we moved closer to the creek and it seriously flooded and the banks and aqueducts collapsed. *shrug*
I’m using an Internet Kiosk for this, they charge $5/hr, so i won’t be using it much! Still… I’ll get online next week and update you all. 😉
And many thanks for all the posts about what’s happening here in Aus! 🙂
And yeah, as Steve said (to paraphrase) I’m a tough ol’ bugger! 😀 (Actually, a rapidly getting seriously annoyed tough ol’ bugger!) 😈 😛
I hope you are all well and safe! I miss you all. 🙂
Cheers! 😀
Good to hear from you m8, and you have confirmed my own personal prejudice about having to move. but being near a creek is not a good choice these days.
I noticed that Telstra was having some “business difficulties”, which is not exactly a surprise when they treat customers like employees and both like dirt. The really annoying thing is that they think people will just put up with it. Most people might, but they don’t seem to plan for those that won’t. At least most of them know when to fold in the US, normally about the time you start saying “public utilities commission”, the Florida equivalent of your Telco Ombudsman.
We are thinking of you, and I know how frustrating it is to be off line, having had to endure it after our “little storms”. Stay safe and dry.
Thanks Bryan 🙂
It’s all a major PITA right now. *shrug* 🙂
We are supposed to find out today where we will be moving to, and when. Not looking forward to moving, but it will be good to move into a more permanent house and get organised again. I have a lot of catching up to do.
Thanks again, and be well all. 🙂
We may not do much actual “shaking” but I think everyone who stops by knows about moving, and the aggravation.
This place isn’t going anywhere in the near future, so stop by when you can.
Ooops… I missed this post. Good to see Kryten has resurfaced somewhat unscathed.
Weather has been goofy world-wide and I expect to see more of it. I’ve finally dug out from the snowdrifts and now we are getting record warmth for February… should hit 60 or higher by Thursday. The warmth will be nice but it will probably cause flooding.
Oh, yes, I remember the early thaws from my days in Rochester, NY. The storm drains and ground are still frozen and the slush has no place to go so it fills the streets and often ends up in basements.
Hi again 🙂
Well, we know where we will be moving to, but now exactly *when*. The place is being renovated… 2 or 3 weeks apparently (aha… sure)! We had some tornado’s here in Vic over the past couple weeks, and they did a lot of property damage (what was left after the floods that is). I don’t remember us ever having a tornado here in Vic more than 10 years ago!
On the plus side, the house is literally across the road from the Exchange! Whoohooo… Internet at MAXXX speed! :(I should get 22Mbps/3Mbps) D 😉
Thanks all! Catch you later. 🙂
High speed is very helpful for watching the weather radar and getting the weather watches and warnings in a timely fashion.
As long as Halliburton isn’t the contractor, you might get in a couple of weeks. 😉
Keep your head down and your feet dry.