Australia Up Close
Floods Remind Australians of Mother Nature'S Harsh Hand
By DARREN McLEAN
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豪内陸部を襲った大洪水
先月、オーストラリアのクイーンズランド州内陸部を、大暴風雨が直撃しました。日本とほぼ同じ面積の地域が災害地区に指定され、多くの家屋が洪水に飲み込まれました。広大な荒れ地と砂漠の多いオーストラリアは、過去にも数々の自然災害に見舞われています。
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Australia is a continent with large expanses of desolate bush, mountain
ranges and desert. This unique landscape means Australia is prone to many
devastating natural disasters like cyclones, flooding and bushfires.
Most recently, Australians have suffered severe flooding from record breaking rains that fell during most of February. An area of inland
Australia approximately the same size as Japan was declared a disaster
area after torrential rains stranded townships and engulfed homes,
businesses and farms. Most properties in the worst hit areas were at least 1
meter under water.
The Queensland government pledged around A$500 (¥35,000) in aid relief for
each family affected by the flooding.
The famous outback Australian town Longreach was perhaps the worst hit.
Floodwaters streamed down the Thompson River through Longreach at a record
depth of 6 meters. The main bridge that passes through the township was 3
meters under water.
One Longreach resident, Jack Owens, saw massive flooding in the region in
1955, but he describes the 2000 flooding as even worse. "It looks like a big
ocean, a big brown ocean around the western and northern parts of the town,"
he said.
Cattle, sheep and wildlife fled to higher areas where they were left to
scavenge for food and clean water. Many died helplessly in the silty
floodwaters. There are still risks of local water supply contamination and
the spread of disease from sewage overflowing into the water basin.
Fortunately there were no human lives lost from the flooding, only hearts
broken, crops destroyed and millions of dollars lost. In the past, however,
Australia has had its share of tragic natural disasters in which many
helpless people were killed.
In the early hours of Christmas Day, 1974, tropical cyclone Tracy struck the
city of Darwin in northern Australia. A total of 65 people lost their lives on
this tragic Christmas.
Wind speeds of up to 217 kph tore most homes and buildings apart, while
torrential rains drenched anything left standing. No other cyclone in
Australia's history has caused so much devastation and heartache.
A decade later those living in southern Australia experienced another
natural disaster. This event, etched into the memory of millions of
Australians, is known as the Ash Wednesday bushfires.
In the months leading up to the bushfires, the state of Victoria experienced
the driest period on record, causing severe drought in the region.
A dangerous combination of dry grasslands and bush, extreme temperatures —
up to 43 degrees Celsius — low humidity and high wind gusts was the
fuel for the most devastating fires Australians have seen. Around 180
separate bushfires broke out on Feb. 16, 1983, some started by fallen power lines and natural causes, and some lit deliberately by arsonists.
The Ash Wednesday fires swept through 200,000 hectares of Australian
countryside, including the district of Warrnambool, where I was born. A total
of 75 lives were lost in the fires, including the lives of 12 volunteer firefighters who were trying to control the blazes. More than 2,000 homes were
burned to the ground.
A friend of mine, Susannah Lathlean, from Burleigh, was living in south
Australia on Ash Wednesday.
"I remember driving through the mountain ranges with fire on both sides of
me. I was dropping my father off to do volunteer firefighting," she said.
"There was suddenly a strong wind gust, and within three seconds the entire
side of a mountain, larger than a football field, become completely engulfed
in flames."
It is experiences like these that make us realize how vulnerable we are to
the forces of nature. Macquarie University, Melbourne, has established a
world-class research center for natural hazards research in the hope we can
better understand and prepare for such events.
People in different countries experience different dangers every day, but when
faced with a natural disaster, we can only hope Mother Nature is on our
side.
Shukan ST: March 10, 2000
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