Aftermath

We took a drive around Cairns (pronounced “Cans”) today, downtown, which looks pretty much the same as five years ago, and up into the Tablelands, which looks very different.

This region was hit by Cyclone Larry about two months ago, and Jorge and I are having a hard time comprehending it. For a Category 5 storm, there is minimal structural damage even though many of the houses are nothing more than fiberboard and corrugated tin. If you didn’t know there had been a storm, you would probably assume the areas with the damage were just run down neighborhoods. Anyone who has been to Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte lately knows that over one year later, there are still places completely wrecked. And what about New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast? Think you could miss the mess there? I don’t know how these people did it. Business as usual. They couldn’t possibly have fixed everything that quickly.

The biggest and saddest destruction was to the rainforested mountains surrounding the city. The hilltops are dramatically thinned and brown. You can see the forest for the trees. Sure, it’ll come back, but it’s still tragic.



Cassowaries, the big, prehistoric looking, flightless birds have been having a difficult time too after the storm blew all their food supplies away. Recent news reports have them holding kids up for their lunches on the way to school. These birds are dangerous, disemboweling victims with their enormous, razor sharp toes. You are supposed to remain still and avoid eye contact if you encounter one in the wild; not roll down your car window and talk to it. This one strolled right up to our vehicle, causing Jorge to panic and roll up his window at the last moment when it appeared he might actually stick his head inside the car and hold us up for our Tim Tams.






It is far from easy to determine whether she [Nature] has proved to man a kind parent or a merciless stepmother.

-- Pliny the Elder