Wild Times in southern Oz

I'll catch up with comments on VV from the digest later, but to let
everyone
know:

Southern Australia has been lashed by the most severe storm on record in
100
years with a second storm front due through in the next two hours.
Extreme flooding and tree damage has closed Avalon Airport (but not
Tullamarine Airport)and shut down most of the public transport network.

To give you an idea of the severity, one thunderclap last night
registered
nearly 1.0 on the Richter scale at four separate seismographs (the
fourth
over 80km away).

Its the stuff of science fiction.

http://theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/02/1107228768941.html?oneclick=tru
e

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1295060.htm?fp_news_stor

Brendan 
'Neath Southern Skies

IMPORTANT 
1. Before opening any attachments, please check for viruses. 
2. This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential
information 
   for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, 
   please contact the sender and delete all copies of this email. 
3. Any views expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender and are
not 
   a statement of Australian Government Policy unless otherwise stated. 
4. Electronic addresses published in this email are not conspicuous
publications 
   and DVA does not consent to the receipt of commercial electronic
messages. 
5. Please go to http://www.dva.gov.au/feedback.htm#sub to unsubscribe
emails

   of this type from DVA. 
6. Finally, please do not remove this notice.