“It’s What The Doctor Ordered After What We’ve Been Through”

Climate change.

Hotter, colder, drier, wetter in unfamiliar patterns at unthinkable places. 

Seasons change, we rug up, invest in a Dyson, pop on some wooly socks, revarnish the deck, prep for the predictable the best we can. The old weather model suffices for the most part, but increasingly there’s glitches. Randomness in the system that seems out of place. 

Melting poles, rising seas, droughts, floods, fires, these extreme weather events have always occurred but never with the same frequency or intensity. It’s unprecedented and concerning. 

Vote with your money, support renewables, recycle, buy a Tesla? Let’s hope Musk keeps making more sexy, sustainable toys the private sector gobbles up. The government seems incapable of regulating itself. Still crook back room deals, coverups, gross negligence, short-sightedness. Australia ranked last for climate action among UN member countries in 2020. Fucking embarrassing.

The Black Summer bushfires were the only natural disaster I’ve ever experienced directly. A billion dead animals, destroyed homes, a smokestack visible from space. Scattered dust covering every surface. It was terrifying. I was fortunate enough to not have it come to my doorstep. Plenty of friends and family members lost everything. Homes, pets, priceless possessions they were unable to retrieve.

Cyclone Seroja was not on my radar. 4714 kilometers away in mid-west Queensland, it developed originally in the seas of Timor Island before twisting its way over to Kalbarri bringing with it hurricane-force winds, and heavy rain. 

The aftermath? An economic and environmental clusterfuck totaling $490 million USD in damages across Indo and Aus. 

“The devastation around town was next level. There were boats that nearly ended up on the jetty, the tidal surge and the destruction it created… I’ve never seen anything like it. The fact that no one died is an absolute miracle. Even since the cyclone, there’s weather I’ve never ever seen before. Just the clouds and thunderstorms, people are terrified.” says Ry Craike, the Kalbarri king. 

“As bad as it was, it brought the community closer than ever and that’s a pretty positive thing to come out of it all. It’s been nice to have a bit of nice weather, sunshine, and barrels the past few days. It’s what the doctor ordered after what we’ve been through.”

Watch Kalbarri locals, Ando, Kael, and Ry find the cyclone’s silver lining. 

Shot by Lost at Sea. Music ‘Hotel’ by Loose Change.