Australia
cyclone spares coal miners, farmers
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[February 23, 2015]
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Commodities
producers were spared the full wrath of a powerful cyclone that smashed
into the east cost of Australia packing winds up to 285 kph (175 mph),
but thousands of coastal residents on Monday faced a third day without
electricity.
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"We are doing everything we can to restore power," said Annastacia
Palaszczuk, the premier of Queensland state, which bore the brunt of
the storm that hit land on Friday with the highest-possible cyclone
rating.
There had been concerns that Marcia would wreak havoc on
Queensland's A$25 billion commodity and agriculture sectors, but
early assessments as the storm dissipated over land point to minimal
disruptions caused by suspension of some ship loading and
coal-hauling rail lines.
"I don't think that it's anywhere as severe as in other times of
cyclones and rain events, but we are still getting reports in," said
a spokesman for the Queensland Resources Council.
Aurizon Holdings, Australia's biggest coal rail freight company,
said that its Blackwater corridor servicing many of Queensland
state's Bowen Basin collieries - the world's single-largest source
of coal used to make steel - reopened on Sunday.
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However, its 228-km Moura corridor that hauls coal from five mines
to the Gladstone coastal industrial hub remained suspended.
"Aerial inspections of track have been undertaken. However, on the
ground inspections are being hampered because of road closures and
inability to access by rail," Aurizon said.
Gladstone Ports Corp (GPC) said ship movements had resumed on
Saturday.
"GPC's emergency management planning and preparations have ensured
that we have experienced minimal damage," it said.
Marcia's trajectory had indicated the impact on coal mining was
expected to be less severe than in 2011, when Queensland missed its
annual coal export target by 40 million tonnes following unusually
heavy rains.
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Sugar fields in Queensland, a key cane-growing state in the world's
No.3 exporter of raw sweetener, were unscathed, an industry group
said on Monday.
In fact, growers should benefit from the moisture brought by up to
300 millimeters of rain that accompanied Marcia, said CaneGrowers
Australia.
Elsewhere, Insurance Australia Group said it had received about 700
claims related to damage from Cyclone Marcia, with more expected as
policyholders return to their homes and businesses.
Emergency crews were also cleaning up after a second cyclone last
week ripped apart remote coastal communities in the far north coast
of the Northern Territory.
Four remote indigenous communities were affected by the category 4
storm, which hit Elcho Island on Thursday night before turning
inland.
(Reporting by James Regan and Colin Packham; Editing by Joseph
Radford)
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