Innisfail, Australia
A Category 5 hurricane flattened part of Queensland, Australia, last week, but not a single person was killed. Tropical Cyclone Larry slammed into the coastal town of Innisfail, ripping roofs from half the homes and destroying sugar and banana plantations. “It looks like an atomic bomb hit the place,” said Mayor Neil Clarke. Officials, though, were pleased with the emergency response. Just hours after the storm hit, state and federal agencies were in place and helicopters began arriving to pick up the stranded. “Everyone here studied Katrina and took a lot of messages away, a lot of lessons,” said Queensland State Emergency Service spokesman Ben Creagh. “There was absolutely no complacency at the planning level at all.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
-
Today's political cartoons - September 16, 2024Monday's cartoons - a second assassination attempt, eating pets, and more
-
'If this is a race, China has a commanding lead'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
