Cyclone Jasper

 Severe Tropical Cyclone Jasper was a powerful and long-lived tropical cyclone that impacted northern Queensland with torrential rainfall. The third disturbance of the 2023–24 South Pacific cyclone season and the first named storm and severe tropical cyclone of the 2023–24 Australian region cyclone season, Jasper originated from an area of low pressure located in the South Pacific Ocean. The system was initially slow to develop while tracking southwestwards through the South Pacific Ocean in Fiji's area of responsibility but began to consolidate the following day. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) upgraded the system to a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale and name it Jasper. The storm quickly intensified and became a Category 4 tropical cyclone on 7 December; the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph). Jasper soon entered an environment of increasing wind shear, causing the system to steadily weaken. Its low-level circulation centre became totally exposed and it maintained a poorly defined convective structure as it approached northern Queensland. Jasper later reintensified, and on 13 December, made landfall as a Category 2 tropical cyclone off the eastern coast of the Cape York Peninsula near Wujal Wujal. Jasper then weakened into a ex-tropical low and remained traceable overland as it moved southeast, and was last noted on 21 December.
Throughout Jasper's existence, moderate to locally intense rainfall accompanied the system; the storm dropped very heavy rainfall, peaking at 2,252 mm (88.7 in) at Bairds near the Daintree River. If verified, this would make Jasper the wettest tropical cyclone to impact Australia on record. Many locals used personal watercraft to extract people who were trapped on their roofs within the coastal suburbs. Some flights were canceled at the Cairns Airport. One man died in Far North Queensland due to flooding caused by Jasper and two more are missing.

We sustained no important damage at our place but just next door there was a disaster. The property is closer to the creek and lower than we sit.

Our creek was the scene of devastation. This was not cause by wind but by rain. We had almost 2m of rain from Wednesday to Sunday. Anything that could be washed away was.

The water went right up to the top of the stairs in this place.

The water from the creek completely covered these two cars and tipped the hot water heater. In addition we were without power from Wednesday to Sunday.

After a week the cassowaries emerged, no worse for wear. Mr Cassowary had some damage to his casque but that was about it. He seemed a bit wan and tired. But he and his three chicks survived.

This chick seems quite healthy despite its ordeal. Where the cassowaries spent the week of rain and wind is a mystery but Mr Cassowary(who is over 45 yrs old) has had a lot of experience and knows what to do.