[AstralTraveller (David)]

Thanks for the thoughts Jeremy.

If you mean that you don't expect flooding in Australia then think again. Dorothea Mackellar had it right when she said "I love a sunburnt country/A land of sweeping plains, /Of ragged mountain ranges, /Of droughts and flooding rains." In central Aust it is often the case that the drought is broken by a flood, and when that recedes the drought starts again. In the tropical north floods are part of the annual cycle, it's just that this year it's been particularly bad. [I lived for a year in Cairns and I've never seen rain so intense before or since.]

The continent is also big enough that we can have flooding in one place and a heatwave elsewhere. A few years ago the then PM was visiting a bushfire disaster in Victoria and had to pause at the press conference to send condolences to those affected by the Brisbane floods. The good news is that I don't believe there has been any loss of life [edit. two bodies have just been recovered - very sad]. I also saw a photo of grocery deliveries being made by boat and the supplies included beer, so some people are 'toughing it out' while staying relaxed.