Update: Monster Cyclone Yasi slams Australia coast

by Chris Owen on

The biggest storm in the country’s modern history has reached Australia’s coast with winds stronger than that of hurricane Katrina.

Hundreds of thousands of people have filled evacuation centers and homes. Tourists hunker down in their hotels as Yasi slams the Australia coast. Tens of thousands are without power across a region the size of Germany and France combined.

“I can’t sugarcoat this for people, it’s going to be a very tough 24 hours,” Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told reporters in Brisbane yesterday. “Without doubt we are set to confront scenes of devastation and heartbreak.”

Cyclone Yasi is expected to hit the North-east coast of Austraila in the next few hours.

The last cyclone of such strength to cross the state was in 1918 and this one would be “terrifying”.Mrs Bligh told the BBC.

Keeping in touch with friends and family or getting a good idea of what is happening may soon be difficult. Austailan Government’s Bureau of Meteorlogy allows us to watch Live images of the massive storm. Another site, suggested by reader Nicola, Cyclone Video HQ has the most recent video feeds from ground level.

Photo: NOAA

Australia storm bears down

by Chris Owen on

It’s not just the United States facing big weather today, Australia has problems of a different nature.

Expected to remain a strong category 4 storm with sustained winds in excess of 175 miles per hour, Cyclone Yasi has Australians running for safety. The storms intensity and 400-mile wide size is expected to go as far as 600 miles inland, threatening more than 400,000 people in its path.

“There’s no time for complacency,” Mike Brunker, mayor of the Whitsunday area near the Great Barrier Reef told Reuters. “People in low-lying areas are evacuating to friends and family or, if they have to, leave town.”

Coal mines, rail lines and coal ports were closed in Queensland state as the massive storm headed toward the coast. Up to a third of Australia’s sugar crop was also under threat

“This storm is huge and life threatening,” Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told NewsDaily, warning the system was intensifying and picking up speed on its path from the Coral Sea, with destructive winds expected from Wednesday morning.

The situation worsens by the hour. 40,000 people were evacuated from the coastal areas overnight, Carins airport is expected to close on Wednesday and Tropical rains have been battering the area since November.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said residents up and down the coast needed to prepare. “It’s such a big storm – it’s a monster, killer storm – that it’s not just about where this crosses the coast that is at risk”

Photo: Reuters

Photo of the Day: Approaching storm on Coogee Beach, Australia

by Catherine Bodry on

This sky is my favorite kind: the sun is still in one part of it, brightening everything up, but the impending blackness of the clouds means trouble is brewing. Not that that is any bother for the sunbathers, who are catching a few last-minute rains before what has to be some serious rain. Thanks to Flickr user ssabedin, who shared this via Gadling’s pool.

Have any awesome sky shots from your travels? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature.

Hot Air Balloon’s Emergency Water Landing Caught on Tape

by Elizabeth Brady on

Our friends at Urlesque pointed us to this unusual video of a hot air balloon making an emergency landing in Australia today. The pilot of the balloon was attempting to land on a beach, but wind gusts pushed the craft several kilometers out over the waters of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne. In order to bring the 10 passengers to safety, the balloon was lowered to the water where water police had arrived.

Luckily, the rescue effort went smoothly and nobody was injured — but the incident made for some very dramatic footage. Those aboard the balloon were able to put on lifejackets and easily reach the shore.

“We knew we could jump ship,” one cheerful passenger commented after getting back on dry land. “We just wanted to save our snaps from the holiday, and we didn’t want to go swimming. That’s all.”


Leggo my Love Boat

by Chris Owen on

What took more than 250,000 LEGO bricks, six months to build, measures 10.5 feet long and five feet high? That would be a full scale model of the original Pacific Princess Love Boat built by professional LEGO builder Ryan McNaught.

The son of a Melbourne, Australia travel agent, the 36-year-old McNaught was inspired by the many cruises he has enjoyed over the years.

“I wanted to do something with character so I chose the original Love Boat, Pacific Princess, and studied photos and deck plans to capture her features and her beauty,” McNaught said.

One of only 12 certified LEGO builders in the world, McNaught’s model shows the exterior of the famous Princess Cruises TV ship on one side. The other side is a cutaway showing everything from chefs in the kitchen to passengers working out in the health club. Captain Stubing, Gopher and cruise director Julie, along with some of the show’s most famous guests such as David Hasselhoff are on board too.

Looks like the Love Boat will be making another run too. After showing the creation in Australia, McNaught now plans to move it to Chicago for Brickworld, one of the largest LEGO conventions in the world.

Flickr photos by TheBrickMan

%Gallery-114706%