The answer to this is ‘Yes it could’. There is plenty of room for improvement. We barely set things right after the last storm and here we are again with an even bigger one, that was even more destructive as there was wind in its midst.
I am grateful to say we survived the storm unscathed. For the most part the winds were blocked by our massive hill, although when the storm swung round to a south-westerly position, gusts of 100km/h or more knocked at our windows. The windbreaks in the garden seem to have provided a degree of relief as the weather station in the garden was recording winds at about half that speed. The other blessing for us was the repairs we made to the external house wall seem to have worked. With all of the rain pounding against it, the internal wall stayed dry.
However, we appreciate our experience of Cyclone Gabrielle is very different to that of others. We thought the last storm was unbelievable and unprecedented, but this was far worse on an even greater scale. It will take some time for life to get back to some kind of normal for so many people.
This summer has two weeks left if you go by the meteorological calendar. Ordinarily I like to go from a meteorological start at the 1st September and then stretch the season by ended it on the astronomical equinox on the 21st March. But this season I’m happy to call it a day on the 28th of February. Autumn is normally my favourite season anyway.
Hopefully going forward there will be a lot less moaning about the weather and a lot more gardening.
Come again soon – I’m going to sow some cool season seeds of hope.
Sarah the Gardener : o)
It is already difficult to imagine summer during (our) winter. It is just as difficult to imagine such storms during summer. All of our weather happens during winter. Summer can get warm, but that is about all.
It has been a terrible summer – very far from normal. The last storm has been the worst with a rising fatality toll and so much devastation it is unimaginable. We got off so lightly in our community but it will be a long time before our country is back to any kind of normal.
Someone else who writes a horticultural blog just mentioned how selective the news is with such matters. Our weather was such a prominent topic that people all over the World were asking about my safety. It was the worst weather since 1982, . . . but our weather is legendarily mild. The ‘bad’ storms were not so bad by the standards of other regions. Much worse weather in other regions does not get as much coverage. We are not aware of much of it.
We seem to get news of terrible weather in most places in the world, but it is likely it is just the really bad storms that make our headlines.
Wow. Those pictures make me sad, but I’m glad you were not hurt. I wish your community well.
Thank you for your kind words. To be honest the harm in my garden was nothing in the grand scheme of things and these plants were due to come to an end shortly anyway. But the devastating losses elsewhere are unimaginable and don’t even compare. For many it will be a long time before they find some kind of normal again.