Please note that our phone has not been working properly since Saturday 17th March (we can ring out, most of the time, but callers trying to ring us either get just a dial tone, crackling or other sounds – it doesn’t even go to Messagebank, which is a first).
Telstra says the deadline for repair is 30th March – the tornado earlier this week caused a lot of damage that is keeping repairmen extra busy. It has generated more discussion regarding the wisdom of installing essential communication cables overhead rather than underground, in cyclone areas. People who were already connected to the NBN lost their phoneline services for quite a while, because poles were blown over and snapped off.
The Townsville Bulletin has a number of photos which explain the destructive force of the tornado. Trees were smashed like kindling, power poles and traffic signs blown over, full wheelie bins were blown over – not to mention roofs being lifted off; caravans, dongas and vehicles being turned over or moved along. The wind even tipped over a sizeable tractor. Considering this all happened in just a 10 minute time span, I think the wind must have been much stronger than the 178km per hour that they estimate – more like 200kph+. The damage caused was similar to cyclone Yasi and Larry at their worst, and cyclones destroy over a number of hours. For a wind to create similar damage in just 10 minutes, it must have been a lot stronger. Tornadoes do occur in Australia but are probably most common in inland areas, not on the coast, where our largest cities are located, so they are often unreported. And Australian tornadoes don’t reach the size and ferocity of those in the USA.
In the meantime – while we wait for the phone to be repaired – please send an email if you have any queries, and I can either email a response or ring you back.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused,
Fiona Lake
PS: Our phone was fixed on Friday 27th March. It would have taken much longer if we’d been connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN). It seems like absolute madness to replace functioning underground communication cables with an above ground system, in cyclone-prone areas of northern Australia.
Tags: Fiona Lake Photography, Living in the country and remote areas