Cyclone Gabrielle passes

Checking on flood damage….

Kevin: Just seen footage of the rivers bursting on TV. Are you evacuating?

Alan: All the bridges are underwater. No way out to the north. There’s one road open out to the south.

Kevin: There’s a photo on the news showing the Eskdale church leaning over.

Alan: Really? That lovely Chapman-Taylor church? Someone was not watching over his flocks or his barn.

Kevin: Do you still have a job?

Alan: The truck was parked on higher ground so it’s OK. But the logging mill has shut down. An old mate says he needs a driver for one his sucker trucks. Start Monday.

_________

Voice-over

For a city facing the sea with a constant murmuring worry of a tsunami, the floods came as a surprise. Huge logs smashed through riverbanks flooding farmland. No respect for heritage either. Causes will be debated but the cleanup takes precedence. A fleet of suction trucks will be needed.

Rainfall, Waterfall, Rockfall

After a big rainstorm…

Kristina: I heard that 250 mm fell in 24 hours making it the worst storm in 250 years.
Alain: Hmm. Coincidence that the rainfall of 250 mm equalled the time since an equivalent big storm of 250 years. 
Kristina: Yeah. Odd that. Especially since there were no measurements being taken that long ago. Anyway, the rain was heavy. Walls fell in the street.
Alain: You mean your 10 meter retaining wall?
Kristina: Nope, a meter-high wall up the street. Still, a hundred houses in town are flagged as unliveable.
Alain: And five hundred houses still to be inspected.
_________

Voice-over
Rogue rainfalls may contribute to hill property prices falling, but flooded properties on the flat may depress prices even further. Freak weather events can slow a rising real estate market.