manning wrote:I will say it's been most gratifying to see the rapid deployment of the military into the region - looks like Australia learnt from Katrina.
Purified water, emergency shelter and food supplies all look to be getting to those who need it, and in rapid order. I don't have too many kind words for the Howard government, but they've done well so far.
The rapid deployment of military personnel including specialists appropriate for the situation has happened in almost every natural disaster on a similar scale to Larry, in Australia, since I can remember - regardless of the party/ies of the government/s at the time . Of course, the Army was on the spot when Althea hit here and they were magnificent then just as they were after Tracy hit Darwin. The current deployment is just as impressive but needs to continue to grow, as it has been doing since Monday. But, hey, the military are spread pretty thin with the overseas deployments. Rain and flooding has hampered the operation of rotary aircraft today, caused further difficulties in transporting much-needed equipment, personnel and supplies to the disaster area as well as added to the misery of the victims of this extreme weather event.
Then there's: the local butcher in Innisfail who rather than have his wares just rot, just put on a barbecue for those who needed to be fed; the cafe owner in Babinda which suffered relatively much more destruction and devastation than Innisfail who did similarly; and the volunteers who themselves have no homes to return to but are doing what they can to assist in the clean-up. Indeed, a couple of young guys in an obviously personal 4wd turned up at my brother's place not long after the storm had abated, with a chainsaw and no safety gear apart from boots, helped him clear the driveway - he didn't know them, they were just going down the street clearing driveways. At least he was able to go get some much-deserved takeway beer after spending most of the day cleaning up some of the mess.
The Howard government has responded as it should, I think. Although $1000 after losing your home, as generous as it is, doesn't help much if there's nothing you can buy from the shops. Well, those that haven't been at least half destroyed, still have saleable merchandise.
Katrina has absolutley no relevance to the FNQ situation. New Orleans' main problems were being below sea level and the sheer size of the population. The USA government/s and military could learn a helluva lot from Australia's, though Katrina was unique in many ways.
daz
