Hour of horror
It was an hour of horror. That’s how many have described the severe storm that hit the western edge of Millicent ... In an hour’s time, the storm had uprooted trees, tore down power lines, blown roofs off, and caused widespread devastation...
Fear for flooding – West Terrace residents call for stormwater maintenance
Will Hunter. Residents on West Terrace, Kadina, are pleading with Copper Coast Council for improvements to surrounding stormwater facilities before further rain. Two recent events, including almost 98 millimetres of rain in Kadina over four days at the start of December, have put residents on flood watch.
Royal Commission’s 15 recommendations for better preparation for disasters are complete
In response to the extreme bushfire season of 2019-2020, the Royal Commission made 15 recommendations. The recommendations were released in October 2020. The 15 recommendations fell under Federal Government responsibility. They have all been implemented and completed.
Large tree crushes car with five people inside
In a sudden storm several trees fell down on the Summerland Way at Leeville at 1.30pm, Saturday December 16. Emergency services were called to reports of a crash on the roadway near Crawford Road.
Naracoorte flood was a record rainfall event
Recent flash flooding in Naracoorte was the result of a new two-day rainfall record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The official two-day rainfall total in the 48 hours to 9am on November 25 was 117.8 mm. “(It) is not only a new November record, but also an annual record in the bureau observations at Naracoorte – current and former site – since 1884.”
Australian Agriculture Outlook 2024: Rural Bank
Andrew Smith, Rural Bank Head of Agribusiness Development said: “As was the case for 2023, the three key themes that will impact Australian agriculture in the first half of 2024 continue to be seasonal conditions, trade conditions and economic headwinds, but looking to the upside, a more favourable economic environment is expected to begin supporting agricultural markets in the back half of 2024."
Weather for November
Highest temperature was 43.8C on Saturday 11th compared to the record of 45.4C on the 29th in 2012 ... November rain was 28.4mm ... Highest November rain was 95.4mm in 1992 ... The river has remained reasonably steady a with current level of 0.85 metres and a flow of 769 ML/day, exactly the same as reported last month.
Inlet forum told of record water flow
Alison Bennett Taylor. Wilson Inlet recorded its sharpest increase in water flow ever in one of the wettest starts to winter on record, according to a local research scientist ... Dr Elke Reichwaldt told the Wilson Inlet Catchment Forum that climate change was already impacting water flows into the inlet. June was the ï¬fth wettest month ever recorded in Denmark, with April also much wetter than average followed by an exceptionally dry May – unpredictable weather patterns that could be attributed to climate change.
Aussie farmers are more prepared for adverse weather conditions now, than in the past five years: Kellanova ANZ
This World Soil Day, Kellanova ANZ, parent company of Kellogg’s, is shining a light on how farmers are preparing for the upcoming El Niño summer season, with soil health at the very heart ... New research reveals that 9 in 10 Aussie farmers already have a plan in place to deal with drier weather; Almost a third are confident the practices they use will help them prepare for potential drought.
Build it back somewhere better – a national conversation on assisted relocations: Natural Hazards Research Australia
Suncorp Group and Natural Hazards Research Australia have released a discussion paper to help drive a national conversation on giving communities at high-risk of being repeatably impacted by extreme weather the opportunity to be relocated out of harm’s way. The discussion paper was developed out of a roundtable held in Canberra...
Dwellingup revisted: Frank Batini
The weekend of 4/5 November 2023 was eerily similar to my experiences as a 20 year old fire-fighter at the disastrous 1961 Dwellingup fire, which burnt 200000 hectares of forest and destroyed several towns ... Multiple lightning strikes, dry, heavy fuels and strong winds eventually overwhelmed all fire-fighting efforts.
El Niño, insect populations and AI: a pest behavioural expert tells what to expect
"Our connected solution, PestConnect, collates and analyses emerging trends through millions of data points crunched by machine learning algorithms, identifying patterns and correlations that human observation alone might miss, which enables us to map and predict pest activity more effectively and then control pest activity sustainably": Andrew Stone, Rentokil Initial MD.
Current conditions driving demand for hay
Australian farmers are requesting donated hay at a phenomenal rate as drought and bushfire conditions bite ... Queensland cattle producer Betty Johnson, of Biggenden, this month received hay from Rural Aid ... “We’ve had no rain at all since about January which means that I’ve been feeding stock for ages. If you’re feeding stock, it costs money.”
Tony, Mac and a handful of hope
Thanks to photographer extraordinaire Rob Leeson for this great photo of Newstead farmer Tony Butler, and Kelpie Mac, in a paddock of wheat. In recent weeks, the local region has received around 40mm of rain, and this has been a bonus for farmers.
Community plans to bolster regional drought resilience: Watt, Spence
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt and Victorian Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence announced the Drought Resilience Plans for the Gippsland, Goulburn and Wimmera Southern Mallee regions have been finalised. These are the first of nine regional communities across the state to develop community-led Regional Drought Resilience Plans through the Future Drought Fund’s Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program, jointly funded by the Albanese and Allan Governments.
Dry weather changes plans
The planned Gardens of the Downs tour for Greenmount and Vale View has been altered due to the lack of rain. The three gardens at Greenmount will no longer be open for viewing, although the garden of Tonia and Paul Grundy at Vale View will still be open ... Ponder life next to the raked dry garden bed or delight in the small waterfall and stream that flows to a scenic pond with water lilies in bloom.
Australia’s preparation for major bushfires: John O’Donnell
It is the author’s belief that Australia is not adequately prepared for upcoming bushfires. To be frank, we as a society have learnt very little following 2019/20, especially in regards to bushfire mitigation. Communities, firefighters and the ecosystems are highly exposed over the coming El Nino period and a lot of bushfire skills have been lost. Disaster and insurance costs are going up every year and will continue to go up with current adapted approaches.
With El Nino declared – This will test a leader’s ability to role model resilience!
The Bureau of Meteorology has declared that an El Nino is underway for most of regional and rural Australia, which will lead to a warmer and drier Spring and Summer, increasing the risk of extreme temperature shifts. This will test all of us, as drought, bushfires, and sustained hot weather will impact many communities. Importantly this will also be a leadership moment of truth for parents, employers, and community groups.
Time for some sober thinking with declaration of El Nino
The fact that an El Nino has finally been declared might seem a distant problem to many horse people. While the natural weather pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean does not necessarily lead to drought, parts of the country such as Gippsland and in NSW near Dubbo have been experiencing very dry conditions for some time.
TRC welcomes BOM radar coverage
Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald has welcomed news that the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) would soon provide an improved radar service to residents of the region ... "In today’s world where disaster preparedness is paramount, our residents need the tools and resources to make informed choices when weather warnings are issued and this additional weather radar service that the BOM will provide is certainly welcome news," Mayor McDonald said.
Nimbin to be put on Level 2 water restrictions
Level 2 water restrictions will be introduced in Nimbin, effective from Thursday, 28 September 2023. Lismore City Council Acting Manager Water and Wastewater William Lee said the restrictions were necessary as the water level in Mulgum Creek continued to fall.
Rural Aid ready to help farmers as El Niño declared
Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said the Bureau’s announcement confirmed many producers’ fears. "This announcement of the El Niño weather pattern will bring a lot of unwelcome memories to the surface for our farmers, who’ve been anxiously watching land and waterways dry up," Mr Warlters said.
