the trouble with Cyclones......

As the world will now know the north of queensland is waiting for a horrendous cyclone to hit land. Its known as Yasi and will be the worst one ever to hit.  Here on the Tablelands we won't get it as bad as the coastal areas but it will still be bad.  The last two days have been spend preparing - chopping trees, taping windows, making sure everything that can be tied down is and moving things that could become missiles. They estimate that the winds will be nearly 300 klms an hour.  Pretty scary.  I have not only had my own house to sort out but neighbours as well on both sides, one couple is in hospital and another lives away.  I was working on my own for the most of it with the boys coming in to do the heavy stuff. 
But as the title says the trouble with cyclones - well the trouble with cyclones is once the prep is done all you have to do is sit and wait, listening for that train roar of wind bearing down, the sounds of splintering wood and crashing and cracking all around.   Tjey are keeping us all updated on the tele about the different areas and how they will be affected but when you see what is happening and then realise that you will have to go through that shortly is terrifying.  I have my youngest son here with me now, he managed to get up the range before they closed it off.  I also have my dog and the neighbours dog.  So we are going to hunker down in the bathroom as its windows are the smallest.  The news has just said that it will go down to a category 3 once it reaches us but a 5 when it hits the coast.
My sis in law was mandatory evacuated yesterday to higher ground and most of cairns are hiding out in shopping malls and sports centres.  The hospitals in cairns have air lifted out patients to Brisbane.
So now we wait and hope that by daylight tomorrow we will be picking up the pieces and remaking all our lives.  I hope that my roof holds, I am expecting the shed roof to go and a few trees and perhaps the verandah roof.
These adverse weather conditions are becoming more and more usual.  I think how we think will be changed, our values and what matters to us the most will be most important.
Well enough waffling the winds are getting stronger and the power is flickering.  Think of me and mine and all of the far north of q'land, keep everything crossed for us and put us in your prayers.

Jan