Damn. Missed.

It is spring, isn’t it? That’s what the calendar tells me anyway. You know, November, one month before Summer? It’s been very mild this spring, and when you add in some wild weather and South East Queensland’s wettest October in a long time something’s up. From flash floods to violent storms, South-East Queensland is no stranger to weather disasters. With warnings this summer will be a wet and wild one, Brisbane’s Nine News team has prepared a special presentation to help us all survive the season. From the press release:

Hosted by Nine News weatherman Garry Youngberry, Extreme Weather takes a look back at our turbulent weather past. Andrew Lofthouse and Melissa Downes hear stories of survival from Queensland’s devastating 1974 floods with local residents recounting the raging waters that flooded 8000 homes. Using footage from Channel Nine archives, as well as photos from residents themselves, the images are a timely reminder of how fierce nature can be.

Weather disasters aren’t just a thing of the past – in 2008, residents at The Gap, in Brisbane’s western suburbs, bore the brunt of a freak storm that most will never forget. Garry catches up with one couple who were so affected, they’ve rebuilt their home to withstand a Category 3 cyclone. While it’s local residents who’ve done the most mopping up over the years, the Nine News special investigates what’s been done by councils and governments to safeguard our properties, including flood mitigation.

Of course, not everyone dreads extreme weather events. We talk to one Stormchaser about why he revels in them and on the flipside, a local farmer who’s tentatively looking forward to this year’s wet summer. As Garry explains, it’s changing times as we shift into La Nina – the weather pattern that’s behind this summer’s bad weather forecast. With that in mind, Nine News reporter Sylvia Jeffreys takes an SES expert through an average suburban home to show the simple things we can all do to flood and storm proof our families.

There is no escaping our ever changing weather, but if we learn from our turbulent past, we can prevent the devastating impact our EXTREME WEATHER can have on all our lives.

It’s good to see some local productions still coming out of Mount Coot-tha. All is not lost at the home of Brisbane television, and that’s awesome. More please (like maybe some weekday local content?).

And thank goodness someone is going to explain what’s happening to us. At least until it’s broadcast I’ll have time to finish that ark I started. Now, to find two unicorns…

 

Extreme Weather – 5:30pm Sun 14/11, Ch9
Image sources: OurBrisbane.com; BrisbaneWalks.Wordpress.com.