Just imagine!

[MudRunnerTD]

Currently raining in Birdsville. I think they will flood.....

[PeeBee]

The mine I am working at is in 'wet weather alert mode right now', expecting the deluge to start tomorrow and run for a week. Roads will get cut again, rivers and creeks break their banks, mining in the pit will have to stop. We even have a zodiac inflatable with motor to ferry people back from the pits if they get caught - flows out here can be so big they dont allow the big haul trucks to cross the river as its too deep - which is circa 6m at a typical peak. Water peaks fall away pretty quickly.

I am currently working on the feasibility study for a levee to protect a proposed new pit, it has to be modelled on a 1 in 1000yr flood event - to put that into perspective, the flood in townsville was rated at a 1 in 500 yr level. The levee looks like being 10m high and 1.6km long running along the side of the creek that bisects the mine. For something that may never happen, its a lot of effort, but if it did and the levee wasn't in place it would kill the mine completely - the environmental licence states that once water enters a pit it can only be removed by evaporation or seepage thru the ground into the aquafier - cant pump except from pit to pit - very restrictive and difficult/expensive.

[PeeBee]

Pissing down here, estimated 150mm over the next day or so, access roads already shut, flights into and out of Mt Isa cancelled to site - no radar on airstrip, so visual landing only. Hope it clears by thursday or the big bird wont land and take me away! No work going on as site under lightning alert conditions.

[PeeBee]

Got a bit of weather at the moment, just had 200mm in last 4 hrs, building leaking like a sieve, water pouring through light fittings, flooded everywhere around here. Shot is of site lightning tracker - like Moomba fireworks out here right now - pisssssing downSANY0065.JPG

We are located in the middle of the bullseye, so waiting for the worst to arrive!!

[PeeBee]

Minesite evacuated at 4pm as rivers between camp and mine were rising at a rate of 300mm/minute - fierce flows, water 200mm deep for a couple of kilometers flowing hard, just plow on and line up the roadside markers, all good, starting to moderate a bit now, but sure will rain all night, boy did we get a dump from that cyclone up in the Gulf.

[rusty_nail]

Minesite evacuated at 4pm as rivers between camp and mine were rising at a rate of 300mm/minute - fierce flows, water 200mm deep for a couple of kilometers flowing hard, just plow on and line up the roadside markers, all good, starting to moderate a bit now, but sure will rain all night, boy did we get a dump from that cyclone up in the Gulf.

Where's the pics mate!!

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[Winnie]

Minesite evacuated at 4pm as rivers between camp and mine were rising at a rate of 300mm/minute - fierce flows, water 200mm deep for a couple of kilometers flowing hard, just plow on and line up the roadside markers, all good, starting to moderate a bit now, but sure will rain all night, boy did we get a dump from that cyclone up in the Gulf.

Where are you working Philbo?

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[Hodge]

Where are you working Philbo?

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Sounds like he is Philbara .

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[Plasnart]

Wonder where PB's gonna end up tonight? Big logistics to evacuate a camp that size at short notice. Hope he's got a roof over his head soon. 3h40m to the Isa from his camp if my reckoning is correct.

Check in when you can Phil and let us know you're OK mate!
@PeeBee

[PeeBee]

Hey guys, all good, back at the mine this morning. It was a wild night, no pics as simply too busy getting the hell out of the joint. The site is called Phosphate Hill, its a gypsum mine with a heavy acid and ammonia extraction plant on site - we mine the ore and make finished fertiliser for rail despatch. The recent floods took out the rail line for 70klm and 26 bridges, so the site has been in crisis management as it has not run, for at least 3 months - big losses, and coming back to site this morning, the acid plant and ammonia plant are silent - usually roaring like a jet engine. Anyway, my swing ends tomorrow night and not soon enough. I got back to my donga at 4.30 and hunkered down - it was raining so hard. Walked into the camp office and its afloat with roof leaks and the main admin building which is 100m x 50m is 3" deep in mud - not going to be a happy day today.
Thanks for the concern guys. It was basically a case of get out to camp and wait it out. I expect the flights out will resume this morning, subject to availability as there are 70 guys who should have been flying in from Bris last night and 70 leaving, plus 10 to Mt Isa.
Prior to the evac I was driving out the back of the mine inspecting some acid ponds and all of a sudden the dirt roads became brown rivers 100mm deep and rising. Really odd situation.

Location wise we are 3.5hrs by road south of Mt isa, 800klm west of Townsville, between Boulia and Mt isa, duchess and dajarra are the nearest forms of civilisation, located between two cattle stations, road ends here, middle of nowhere.