Hi

I have seen lots of coverage in the U.K. The B.B.C has run with it on the main news programmes. There is coverage of it on their website too. It has been convered quite extensively in Britain from my experience. But then our countries are historically and culturlarly connected. Has there been an international appeal? I haven't seen one, probably because Australia is viewed as a rich country. There wasn't an international appeal for Katrina victims, was there? My memory is hazy.

It's shocking and saddening that it is happening. My thoughts are with all the people affected by the disaster.

Peace and love

Maryland, Washington DC area of USA reporting in. I don't watch much tv and get my news via this site and my MSN home page. ATS has proven to be the best place to keep me informed of news all over the world, sparing me the exploits of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, and the embarrassing banter of local reporters, so yes, I've been aware of your plight and my prayers and any donations I can make will be for your beautiful country. I don't know anyone who holds Australia in anything but the highest regard as an ally and friend and "kin". Now my parents do watch tv news and when I talked to them on the phone about what was happening in Australia they did seem to know what I did, so I'm guessing we do have coverage available in my region. I would hope so, given that we are practically in the president's, back yard.

i read about it on yahoo, i dont watch the news so i dont really know how bad it is.

i kinda saw it coming seeing as aus is an island, not really surprised. it is kinda weird that im not hearing about it more.

California here

Pennsylvania, United States here.

This is the first I've heard about it...but thats not really surprising due to the fact that a congresswoman got shot and killed here in the states...That's the current "story of the decade" here.

It's almost getting as much coverage as that time Brittney Spears went bat s*** crazy.

I have seen coverage twice on the weather channel
in the mornings as I'm getting ready for work.

The clip they show looks more like angry
torrential rivers than a flood though.


David Grouchy

I have no TV, so no I have not heard anything about it except on here and a few other unmentionable conspiracy sites.

I don't watch much media coverage at all as I don't have cable television just the good ole antenna type. But from the internet news I can say that it is on CNN and FOX News right now as one of the top headlines. I must say that the most I have heard about it was on here as well.

My heart goes out to you & all of Australia. It shames me that this tragedy has been so comparatively ignored by the local and national US media.

Ironically, I’ve been attempting to keep tabs on your situation and have been hoping less news is good news—looks like I’m wrong.

The only rationale that I can discern from the lack of reporting is that US-Chinese economic interests may be somehow be involved. Since your coal production supports the Chinese steel industry and we buy a lot of Chinese steel, there may be some conspiratorial agenda in play(?).

Once again, I’m truly sorry for your misfortune and lack of apparent int’l (esp. US) support.

Originally posted by vjr1113
i read about it on yahoo, i dont watch the news so i dont really know how bad it is.

i kinda saw it coming seeing as aus is an island, not really surprised. it is kinda weird that im not hearing about it more.

California here

just to kind of explain to you and others what actually happened. its being reported as an "inland tsunami" which many may think came from the ocean. not true. he is what happened. australia is currently in a "la nina" phase. after being in severe drought for about 10 years. so we are all experiencing lots of rain. which is great.

the thing is is that queensland coped more rainfall than anywhere else. the land is now soaked. since before christmas day the rivers creeks and dams have been filling up. we were in the middle of many towns starting to flood. but then we had a massive rain storm.

the "inland tsunami" actually occured 800 meters ABOVE sea level. the amount of rainfall that fell in the mountain area was just too much for the creeks and rivers to handle. so it ran down hill. down through towns in its path. there was no warning it was coming. people went from being outside or inside and within 4 minutes the water was up to their roofs. thats why so many cars with people in them were washed away. one family as soon as the water started coming up, put a chair near the man hole to get into the attic as you would call it and then onto the roof. the son helped up his sister and put her in the roof, then turned and his parents had both been washed away, along with the whole wall of the house. he jumped in the roof and went around kicking holes in the ceiling looking to see where his parents were trapped. the were later found deceased 4 kilometres down the road.

one other thing that may let you know the scale of it. hurricane katrina apparently covered an area 288,000 square kilometres. this is covering over 1,000,000 square kilometres. the main dam near brisbane went from being 19% full, to 190% full as of yesterday. the sheer scale of it is unbelievable.

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Originally posted by EdWard54
PBS showed a couple of minutes of Brisbane flooding, mentioned toowanda (sp) and said virtually all of queensland is under water...

Failure to explain the floods on anything other than rains...but rains do not bring sharks inland, only a flood tide of ocean waters flowing INLAND would bring such creatures to Brisbane.

Of course, as with the birds/fish kills, not a truthful word of explanation. Birds/fish died from methane gas escaping the crust and these floods may just very well be caused by crustal displacement or tectonic plate movements WORLDWIDE not localized...

I expect soon the authorities will admit plate movements are causing indonesia to sink and queensland to fill with water from the ocean NOT rainwater runoff...

IMHO of course...With all due respect to variant and diverse viewpoints posted here and elsewhere...

Is this a great country or what!

I hope you're wrong about the land subsidence (I know parts of Asia are sinking). If my source is right, bull sharks can live in either fresh or salt water. Bull sharks live in those rivers that overflowed.

In any case, this disaster is of mind-numbing SIZE. Over 200,000 people affected. Land the size of Texas or France (depends on which account you read) flooded. Just jaw-dropping! My prayers to the people of Australia!

SeaWind

Here in the states it's no more than a 20 second blip. We see it for a sec, but the MSM does not want to dwell on it. You can find a little more by searching the net, but I would say no. The US is extremely uninformed even about cr@p that happens here!

Poland:
I have seen lots of coverage in traditional media and the internet.

in canada it is all over the news papers and in the news on tv

I have not heard squat about it until a few minutes ago. This thread is the first I have heard of it. Sorry for you guys down in Aussie land.

I live on the Gold Coast Qld , approx 90km south of Brisbane...there is a cyclone forming off the NE far North coast of QLD, and a cyclone that will push the incoming tide forming in the Phillipines.
In the end fewer dead by thousands than annual monssoon deaths in India and Bangladesh, but when it hits home it becomes real as they say...the Gold coast will be next and more than 70% of the gold coast is Flood designated.
No one ever gives a fig about anyone else ...when will we ever learn that....look after ourseleves no one else will.

I haven't heard one word about the disaster in Australia. I'm from Califonria, USA. On the other hand, good news! Ghost busters 3 is coming out in 3d 2012