Storm Update - Local
I went to pick up the paper this morning and took my camera with me.
Just getting to the service station was a task in itself. Many of the major roads around here are either flooded or blocked by fallen trees, so the journey - which would usually take all of ten minutes - took a good half-hour with traffic, detours and re-direction.
Before I even set off, one half of the road up from my house is blocked by fallen trees.
Deciding to head in the other direction, rather than get nearer the bush and potential fallen trees, I proceeded down the main drag towards the Lake.
Since last night, Lake Macquarie has risen 1.09 metres. Over 0.9m more than the regular swell. And the effects are widespread.
The water has clearly been higher than when I was there, I’d imagine that in the early hours of the morning, the water would have been up over the road looking at the silt and rocky deposits right up to - and over - the main road.
Housing subdivisions near the shore have been underwater too.
People were busy out sweeping their driveways and clearing debris from the walkways and drains. Not that they’re going to do much draining at this moment in time anyway. Stranded cars littered the side of the road along the Esplanade, a few people trying to start them up again to no avail.
Heading in the opposite direction was a similar story.
Residents out helping direct traffic around fallen trees and flood areas, cars waiting to cross the only drivable side of the roads.
More trees fallen in sidestreets, more creeks that have busted their banks and spilled rock and soil into the roads. Minor landslides everywhere, banks that haven’t been able to hold under the sheer volume of water running down them.
I visited the boat ramp - most of you who have seen the photos of my MINI will know this boat ramp. Usually its about a metre above the Lake, a cul-de-sac type carpark that opens out to the boat ramp. I’ve pulled the MINI right down to the waters edge before to get photos on beautiful Sunny days and after lesser storms. Today though, I couldn’t even get close to the edge…
Calls have gone out over the radio for people to stay home, to keep roads free for emergency services. I decided it would be best to go home rather than drive around and become another number in the unwanted weekend traffic.
Can still hear the sound of chainsaws everywhere as people struggle to clean up the mess. Hopefully this afternoon’s storm forecast will prove much more minor than expected!
