The lighter side of Yasi

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As many readers may know, we had a category 5 cyclone (hurricane) rip through northeastern Queensland a week ago. My neighborhood alone lost over 100 trees. The only highway in and out of town is blocked, food supplies are sporadic, and over 7 million dollars of damage was done.

Despite all this there is a lot of good news. For starters, no one died as a direct result of the cyclone, and most of the town recovered power and services within 48 hours. I've met nearly all of my neighbors, as we spent a couple of days cleaning debris together and chances are I'll meet some new friends when I go help clean up the University this weekend.

Aside from those positives, there are other pleasant results of the cyclone. The dirt and dust shot up into the atmosphere has made for some really spectacular sunsets. It's refreshing to jog along the Nathan Street Bridge and enjoy the view over the Ross River. The smells of crushed eucalypt, fruits, and aromatic barks wafts through a lot of the local air as well. It's usually pretty pleasant to jog through the neighborhood, enjoying the nostalgic smells of chipped wood.

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Photos

Damaged Fence
A picture of the damage immediately after Yasi.