Mr Cronin's Images of The Newcastle Storm

Some of the Organisations that Provided Assistance

What do you think these groups and individuals did during and after the Newcastle Storm?

Can you think of any one else who may have provided assistance?

Geographical Processes Involved In the Newcastle Storm

East Coast Lows (ECL) are intense low-pressure systems which occur on average several times each year off the eastern coast of Australia, in particular southern Queensland, NSW and eastern Victoria. Although they can occur at any time of the year, they are more common during Autumn and Winter with a maximum frequency in June. East Coast Lows will often intensify rapidly overnight making them one of the more dangerous weather systems to affect the NSW coast.ECLs can generate one or more of:
- Gale or storm force winds along the coast and adjacent waters
- Heavy widespread rainfall leading to flash and/or major river flooding,
- Very rough seas and prolonged heavy swells over coastal and ocean waters which can cause damage to the coastline

Geographical Processes

Thunderstorms develop when warm, humid air near the ground receives an initial upward push from converging surface winds and rises rapidly in an unstable atmosphere. Thunderstorms can become severe when the atmosphere is particularly unstable and/or additional energy is drawn in from surrounding winds.

Severe Storms

Severe storms are more common than any other natural hazard and can occur anywhere in Australia. Each year, on average, severe storms are responsible for more damage than tropical cyclones, earthquakes, floods or bushfires. Unfortunately, thunderstorms also kill people - between 5 and 10 deaths are caused by lightning strikes each year. A severe thunderstorm is defined by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) as one which produces:
- Hail, diameter of 2 cm or more ($2 coin size); or
- Wind gusts of 90 km/h or greater; or
- Flash floods; or
- Tornadoes, or any combination of these.

Introduction to Natural Hazards

The Australian Continent experiences a range of natural hazards. Each type of natural hazard presents a different risk to Australian communities. The extreme conditions created by natural hazards impact on communities in many ways causing damage to property, loss of income to people as well as changing the physical environment. When a natural hazard impacts on an Australian community we refer to it as a natural disaster. As geographers we study natural hazards so we can try and predict when and where they are likely to occur in the hope that communities can be better prepared to handle the extreme forces of nature. The main natural hazards that impact Australia are; Tropical Cyclones, Flood, Severe Storms, Earthquakes, Droughts, Bushfires. As geographers, we classify the impacts of natural hazards into three main categories:
- Social
- Economic
- Environmental
This Blog will focus on developing students geographical writing skills through an examination of the 2007 Newcastle Storm.