Don’t risk lives over weather

THE benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing but when it comes to predicting weather patterns, it’s better to be grateful that we dodged a bullet than scathing of those who raised alarm bells.

When disaster strikes there are no doovers, there are no second chances.

Those charged with the crystal ballgazing task of forecasting weather events are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

Downplay a potentially dangerous weather system and it hits, and you’ll be accused of negligence.

Give people ample warning of the chance of disaster and you’ll be slammed for scaremongering if it doesn’t eventuate.

Burdekin Mayor Lyn McLaughlin has gone a step further in not just pointing the finger at the forecasters but criticising the media for its reporting of the forecasts.

This wet season, Townsville has been fortunate to have received some muchneeded rain to take the Ross River Dam from 15 per cent to more than 90 per cent.

But Ingham residents suffered serious disruption in two flooding events in the space of two weeks and our neighbours to the south have been battered by 100km/ h winds as Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Iris makes her way down the coast.

Cr McLaughlin claims being overzealous created “unnecessary angst” in the community and that she feared residents would be cynical about future warnings.

But the fact remains that cyclones are notoriously unpredictable.

Yesterday, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford released the findings of a review into the Townsville district’s response to disaster and the region received a glowing report.

Undoubtedly, it’s better to err on the side of caution and to be prepared for the worst than to try to pick up the pieces of being lackadaisical and not heeding the warnings.