Storm Havoc hits Perth

[Tina]

Crazy weather. It's like a war zone, trees down, fences down, power lines down, schools closed, flooding, shops have thrown away frozen & fresh food.
We have our neighbours gum tree in our back garden, lucky it didn't bring the fence down.
The wind gusts were 140kph, but it was swirling from one direction to another.
Our wrought iron weather station lifted 6ft off the ground before collapsing.
We have the power back on. 160,000 homes still without.
Storm lashed the ocean, boats lost their moorings, jetties swept away.
Unbelieveable.. The intensity took us all by surprise, it lasted 3 hours in my suburb.
Those who know Mandurah, it's taken a battering. Some northern suburbs have had roofs blown off, trees uprooted. No traffic lights. S.E.S flat strap trying to help as many as possible.
Our local schools all closed.
AND... we have just received a weather warning for tomorrow
If you Google you'll be able to see what it's been like.
We are okies.

[MaryA]

Batten down the hatches and tie yourself to the mainbrace. Keep yourself safe Our Teen and other Australian friends, and keep logging on when you can to let us know you are.

I also hope our forum friends in Wales are also safe, there are parts that have been hit by flash floods and a break in the wall of a reservoir causing many houses and caravans, not just holiday ones but some of those that people permanently live in also, to be ruined.

Keep safe everybody.

[dickiesam]

Batten down the hatches and tie yourself to the mainbrace. Keep yourself safe Our Teen and other Australian friends, and keep logging on when you can to let us know you are.

Hi Tina,
I suggest you splice the main-brace as well or at least keep the bottle handy in case the power fails. Just seen your weather forecast. Not very pleasant at all. And the folk across on the east coast are even worse.. over 100 mms of rain and more to come!

Stay warm and dry!

[Tina]

Thanks folks, it's piddling down as I write but we never complain about rain.
Yes, we have secured everything we can.
Most homes have been 30hrs without power, so food only fit for the bin.
Shops open today but not much in stock.
Mary, remember my late brother Ray ex postie who helped us all so much from his memories and that of his P.O cronies? His grandee Kate is here on a working visa, got a job on Rottnest Island at the Dome Cafe, she won't be coming here on the ferry tomoz for her 2 days off, for deffo.
Please let me know the area of Wales that is having problems..thanks!

[dickiesam]

Please let me know the area of Wales that is having problems..thanks!

Hi Tina,
Initially it was the area around Aberystwyth on the west coast, caravan and mobile home parks.
Lots of news on Google including this from the Daily Post..
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-w ... -31162659/

Take care out there!

[MaryA]

Mary, remember my late brother Ray ex postie who helped us all so much from his memories and that of his P.O cronies?

I do indeed, good and useful memories that helped us a lot.

What a time for Kate to be visiting, well she will see Aussieland in both all it's glory and also at it's worst.

Dickiesam has brought you up to date with Wales, there's a lot of clearing up to be done down there, hope the worst has now passed.

[Tina]

Thanks D.S for the link, the Welsh community here have been very worried.
Mary, lovely of you to remember my bro!
His biggest achievement was remembering ice cream parlour owned by Italians in Edge Lane, Norma Baker's great auntie and he even remembered her kiddies names which set Norma on the pathway to find them.
He met his retiree mates once a month in the P.O club and the first thing they asked was "what does your Tina want to know now"...
Memories!

[dickiesam]

You are most welcome Tina. There's lots of coverage on YouTube from all over Wales.

Hope your weather has calmed down a little.

[MaryA]

"what does your Tina want to know now"...

as ever!

Hope things are more settled down now for you and you feel safer.

You will be pleased to know that as from tomorrow the hosepipe ban in England is being lifted

[Tina]

Thanks guys!! Now for the big clean up.
In the south west Margaret River people without power for 4 days.
Lots of homes in Metro area without a roof, fences and lost lots of food.
Some insurances companies not paying for fences unless you have it in your policy.
My stars, who reads their policies and if they do, it's gobble degook!!
Lots of debris all over the place and it's been bucketing down today, hard on the
emergency teams.
We'll get there..

[MaryA]

These hard times are really showing us another side of Australia, way back when in the days of the £10 poms we thought everything was rosy down under.

Hope all gets back to normal very quickly.

[Tina]

Thanks Mary.
Kate decided to stay on Rottnest, all the workers went to the Quokka Arms on Thursday and partied!!
She has lots of new friends.

[MaryA]

Sounds good to me, there's nothing like a catastrophe to bring out the best in people and get to know your neighbours.

[Tina]

Too right!!
She did get a shock when she opened the kitchen, a quokka was sitting on the bench!
and she had to get rid of it...Not quite what she was used to in Old Swan...

[MaryA]

I had to google a quokka to find out about it. Aaaah http://waforestalliance.org/sites/defau ... ustin).jpg

[Tina]

As you now know Mary the dutch thought they were rats hence Rottnest (ratsnest)
They carry the muscular dystrophy gene and have been used in research. M.D. Assoc magazine is called The Quokka.

[MaryA]

Apart from looking cute, they have now been proved useful, good!

[Tina]

Hi Mary shocking story from summer of 2010, 3 British lads camping in Tentland, kicked a quokka to death, called it quokka soccer.
Escorted off the island to Perth lock up, in court the next morning full of remorse, taken to the airport & deported, never to be allowed in again.
There's another little pocket of quokka's at a place called Manjimup (where they grow the best spuds, cherries, truffles etc).
Another little animal you may not have heard of is the Tammar. It lives on Garden Island Naval Base here is Rockingham and is protected. A little wallaby the size of a rabbit. It can drink sea water and the female can have a joey in her pouch while keeping an embryo alive in the womb. Amazing!!
Doing an Attenborough again!

[MaryA]

Hi Dickie Tina,

I remember that story, shameful, and I was surprised they didn't get a worse sentence.

We are certainly learning a lot about the flora and fauna of your adoptive land Tina