Image via Wikipedia

Floods isolating towns in southern NSW...

Towns in southern New South Wales have become isolated as floodwaters continue to rise following heavy rain in the area.

State Emergency Service spokesman Phil Campbell says major flooding is expected on the Hume Dam near Albury.

"That'll have significant rural flooding effects and farmers in that area have been asked to lift pumps and equipment to higher ground," he said.

Minor flood warnings have also been issued for the Gwydir River at Gravesend and the town of Mendooran on the Castlereagh River in the state's central west.

Jake Phillips from the weather bureau says a vigorous cold front is currently moving over NSW and damaging winds will gradually develop in the north-east of the state through the night.

"[We're] expecting those winds over the sea to remain very windy [Saturday] up towards gale strengths for most of the day," he said.

Paul Mullins from Tumut Council is readying for more flooding.

"We haven't seen waters like this in decades. At the moment the only way in and out of Tumut is via Talbingo and Cooma," he said.

People on low-lying properties along the Tumut River have also been advised to prepare for flooding and a caravan park at Tumut is being evacuated.

About 30 homes in Holbrook have been evacuated due to rising floodwaters.

Adelong Creek remains high, with the business district of Adelong still under water.

Meanwhile, two CountryLink trains have been evacuated in the state's south-west because of the flooding.

A RailCorp spokesman says a train on its way to Sydney had to stop at Albury while another stopped at Junee because water had inundated train tracks.

Passengers on both trains are staying the night in local accommodation.

Police are also urging people to delay their journeys overnight as all roads in south-western New South Wales are experiencing flooding.

The RTA is urging motorists to delay their journey tonight as numerous roads in south western New South Wales are experiencing flooding with closures on the Hume, Olympic, Sturt and Riverina highways.

Dam threatens residents

Meanwhile, a dam that was threatening to burst near Tumbarumba in southern New South Wales has failed, but authorities say it is not catastrophic.

The Mannus Dam had been leaking from a 10-metre wide and 10-metre deep breach in the wall after water started going over the spillway on Friday night.

An urgent evacuation order was issued to 98 properties downstream.

SES controller James McTavish says it has not been the disaster they feared.

"It would appear that at this stage the Mannus Dam has failed, but rather than a catastrophic failure it was controlled," he said.

"The water is now proceeding down Mannus Creek and will go into the Murray system and we're not expecting it to affect dam levels in the Murray River.

Acknowledgements: MSN News


http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

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Image via Wikipedia Messages of support for the families of kiwi miners lost at Pike River...



GREYMOUTH, NZ — Messages of support for the families of the miners who lost their lives at Pike River are flooding in from all over New Zealand and around the world, including several from international heads of state.


Queen Elizabeth has sent the following message:

”I am deeply saddened by today's news that there is now no hope for the men trapped in the Pike River mine. My heart goes out to the families and friends of these 29 brave miners and to all who have been touched by this national disaster. I send my thanks and deep appreciation to everyone who has worked so hard to attempt a rescue and also to those who will have a part to play in the task of healing the pain that is being felt throughout New Zealand and around the world. At this sad and difficult time my thoughts and prayers are with you all.
”
Government House has also received a message from Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Prince William, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Durao Barroso and the President of Singapore, SR Nathan.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard released the following statement: “This is tragic news, 29 families have been hoping, praying, waiting to hear good news and now they've heard the most terrible news. Our hearts go out to them and on behalf of the Australian people I give the condolences of this nation.

“This is obviously a community in New Zealand that will now grieve bearing this dreadful loss, we send our best wishes and our best wishes, sympathy and support go to the two Australian families now living with this dreadful and tragic news.”

Prime Minister John Key said New Zealand is a nation in mourning.

"The 29 men whose names and faces we have all come to know, will never walk amongst us again. This is a national tragedy," he said.

"To lose this many brothers at once strikes an agonising blow. Today all New Zealanders grieve for these men.
"To all those who have lost a loved one, New Zealand stands shoulder to shoulder with you. Though we cannot possibly feel this pain as you do, we have you in our hearts and our thoughts."

Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand also expressed his sympathies to the families, friends and colleagues of the men and acknowledged the efforts of those involved in the search and rescue operation.
“Their commitment and dedication will be deeply appreciated. “

Thousands of messages of support and donations have been already been received for the Pike River miners’ families through a service which was started this morning
.
The text message service is a joint initiative of almost every media company in New Zealand and Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees.

By texting 306 you can make an instant donation of $3 plus send a message of support.

Read more comments and leave your condolence message for the miners and their families below.

Acknowledgements: MSN News

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Image via CrunchBase

WikiLeaks website blocked behind Chinese firewall...

AP – FILE - In this March 25, 2010 file photo, a Chinese flag blows in the air below the Google logo outside …

BEIJING – Links to the WikiLeaks website were blocked within China on Wednesday amid potentially embarrassing claims made in leaked U.S. diplomatic cables posted to the site.
Attempts to access wikileaks.org and cablegate.wikileaks.org were met with a notice saying the connection had been reset. That's the standard response when a website is being blocked by Chinese authorities who exert rigid controls over Internet content.
It wasn't clear when the blocks were imposed, although a vast swath of the Internet is inaccessible behind China's firewall, including social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Human rights and political dissent-themed sites are also routinely banned, although technologically savvy users can easily jump the so-called "Great Firewall" with proxy servers or other alternatives.
WikiLeaks may have been singled out because of some of the assertions made in the leaked cables, including some sent from the U.S. Embassies in Seoul and Beijing focusing on China's ally North Korea.
Those included suggestions that North Korea's communist regime would likely collapse within three years of the death of ruler Kim Jong Il, and that Chinese leaders were prepared to accept South Korea's eventual rule over the entire Korean peninsula.
In one, a Chinese diplomat is quoted describing North Korea as a "spoiled child" for attempting to win U.S. attention with a provocative missile test.
The leaks also claimed that China's Politburo directed a cyber intrusion into Google's computer systems, and expressed concern over attempts by Iranian front companies to obtain Chinese nuclear technology.
China's government has taken a low-key approach to the leaks, with the Foreign Ministry saying it would not comment on specific assertions in the cables.
"China takes note of relevant reports. We hope the U.S. side will properly handle the relevant issue. As for the content of the documents, we do not comment on that," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Tuesday.
The Global Times, a provocative tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party mouthpiece Peoples Daily, labeled the disclosure a "nefarious slander against China" on Wednesday.
It also questioned the U.S. government's perceived inability to block the posting of the leaks, saying it raised questions as to whether it had reached some form of tacit understanding with WikiLeaks.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University, said Beijing shared Washington's concern about the release of sensitive diplomatic communications. But he said the WikiLeaks' blocking was motivated more by the need to stifle further rumor mongering, rather than suppressing specific revelations.
"The website is blocked because the information is both unprovable and sensitive," Shi said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that WikiLeaks acted illegally in posting the documents. Officials around the world have said the disclosure jeopardizes national security, diplomats, intelligence assets and relationships between foreign governments.
The massive leaks were "embarrassing" and "awkward," but the consequences for American foreign policy should be limited, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

Acknowledgements: AP

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New Zealand Green Party MP Keith Locke said the documents would now make it difficult for the Government to justify the presence of the Waihopai base. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is likely to be among top United Nations officials targeted by the United States in an intelligence-gathering exercise which blurs the line between diplomacy and espionage.
Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks yesterday released a quarter of a million top secret US diplomatic cables to a handful of newspapers. The cables reveal Washington is running a secret intelligence campaign targeted at the leadership of the United Nations.

UK newspaper the Guardian, which received the messages, reported on a "classified directive" issued to US diplomats under US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's name in July last year.

It asks US diplomats to gather information about top UN personnel including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the permanent security council representatives from China, Russia, France and Britain.
Ms Clark became the head of the UN's Development Programme three months before the directive was issued.

The directive asks for a range of information including material about the personalities and leadership styles of top officials, and technical details about the communications systems they use.

It even asks for passwords and personal encryption keys used in private and commercial networks for official communications and for detailed biometric information on key UN officials.

Specific topics it seeks information on include the "plans, intentions, views, positions, lobbying, and tactics of regional groups, blocs, or coalitions on issues before the General Assembly".

It also requests "plans and intentions of key UN leaders and member states regarding the ongoing operations of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, including force protection in Afghanistan".

In the cable's one specific mention of New Zealand, it asks for "plans, tactics, timetables, and draft proposals for the Eighth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)". The cable asks information showing "whether or under what conditions states would consider withdrawing from the NPT".

The New York Times, which also received the messages, reported the type of information diplomats were now being asked to gather could be used by US electronic eavesdropping organisation the National Security Agency (NSA) for data mining and surveillance operations.

The NSA operates a global electronic communications surveillance system of which the Waihopai base in Marlborough forms a crucial part.

Green Party MP Keith Locke said the documents would now make it difficult for the Government to justify the presence of the base.

"Waihopai's main task is to intercept global communications for the US National Security Agency. The WikiLeaks documents inform us that the US has been blatantly violating international conventions with its detailed spying on UN figures, from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon down."

Mr Locke said some of the documents were proving embarrassing for governments, particularly in the Arab world, "by showing they were more supportive of US foreign policy than they were admitting".
Further details of the 250,000 cables are expected to be revealed over coming days.

And what about New Zealand? Is the US still concerned about its anti-nuclear policy?

Acknowledgements: NZ Herald
By Adam Bennett | Email Adam

Video Clinton: US 'deeply regrets' leak of documents (2:37)

Video Nations unhappy with latest Wikileak (1:56)

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A second explosion at Pike River has destroyed any chance of rescuing the 29 miners..


.
by Peter Petterson


A second explosion shortly before 3pm this afternoon has destroyed even the remotest chance of rescuing the 29 trapped miners at the Pike River coalmine just outside of Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

There are fears at present that they may never be able to even recover the twenty nine bodies of the dead miners - because there is now no possibility that they could have survived this second explosion, if indeed they survived the initial explosion in the mine last Friday afternoon, New Zealand time.

New Zealand had received help from Australian and American mine safety experts. Robots had been flown in from both countries - they were to take over from the two NZ defence force robots which had proven inadequate. Australian safety experts had been at Greymouth since Saturday. The spirit of Anzac was evident on the West Coast during the last few days. You might say it was reciprocal help for the assistance given by Kiwi firefighters to their Aussie counterparts during the horrific bushfires in Victoria a couple of years ago. It was much appreciated!

The families of the Kiwi miners were totally shattered by the outcome. The CEO of the Pike River coal company, Peter Whittle, proved a tower of strength and a great leader during the last few days. The police commander came under intense criticism for not sending searchers into the mine; advice suggested the possibility of another explosion. The Government organised the necessary support and resources, with government ministers and the PM,John Key, on site during the last few days. They were vindicated for their actions this afternoon. The outcome was not what everybody hoped for, but it was always a distinct possibility. The poisonous gases in the mine included methane, ethane and carbon monoxide. the latter may well have killed the miners days ago

Firstly, there will be families from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa coming together for a final farewell to their kinfolk - sons, fathers, brothers, husbands and partners. There may well be no bodies to bury. They could well be interred in the Pike River mine indefinately, or eternally. It could well become their collective tomb. Only time will tell.

There will be decisions made about the future of the Pike River company; will a replacement mine be established there? A number of enquiries will also have to be made, including a NZ Government Commission of Enquiry in a few months
.
The coal remains underground, and a much needed industry must continue in the district; about 300 people are employed directly or indirectly in the coal industry there. There is also a state owned Solid Energy mine on the West Coast. The latter has has been idle in recent days as they have supplied much needed assistance to Pike River.

A number of negative claims made about the Pike River mine will have to be discussed during the enquiries. It is the worst coal industry accident since the Strongman mine tragedy of a few decades ago. It is New Zealand's worst domestic loss of life since the Air New Zealand crash in Antarctica back in the 1970's. The Christchurch earthquake a few months ago will cost over 4.5 million dollars in insurance and rebuilding, but there was no direct loss of life through accidental death.

There will be many stories written in coming days, weeks, months and years, but this is the way I saw it today.

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Image via WikipediaToday at Pike River - 75 hours after the mine explosion and no rescue yet..
.


by peter petterson

It has now been 75 hours since the mine explosion at the Pike River coalmine near Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island,trapped 29 miners below ground. There has been no contact or any news about the state of the mine or the health of the miners. A telephone in the mine has not been used. Two miners who were late coming into the mine were injured by the blast,but made there way out to safety and received medical help last Friday.

There have been a number of meetings between the various parties involved and with family members since Friday.Technical help has arrived from Queensland in Australia, and now from the NZ military a robot has been sent and tested this afternoon by Army personnel. This should be sent into the mine tomorrow. The levels of poisonous gases in the mine have been monitored regularly by helicopter. A road through the national park on the mountain is being cut to make access easier. A bore is being drilled through to the mine, and should be completed in a few hours. A camera will then be sent down to examine the interior of the mine.
Yesterday a full list of those down in the mine was released to the media and reported by various television and radio networks

While there have been very positive signs of hope that rescue teams would soon be down to search and rescue these miners: 24 kiwis, 2 Aussies, 2 Brits and 1 South African, the state of the mine has prevented it up until now. There has now been a rather subtle change in speech and body- language by the police commander, mine manager and the NZ prime minister, John Key and his Minister of Energy, Gerry Brownlee. They have mentioned a search and recovery scenario now.

The families of the trapped miners have become increasingly despondent and frustrated by the lack of action, but the police will not risk endangering rescue personnel until it is safe to enter the mine. Something that occurred in Australia a number of years ago; a number of rescuers were also killed along with some of the miners. The NZ scenario is chillingly similar to that of the West Virginia mine tragedy many years ago - all 29 miners were lost there after a similar mine explosion. There are also 28 miners trapped in a flooded mine in China at present.

As I mentioned above specialist rescue equipment has been flown in from Queensland, and will be off-loaded from Christchurch to Greymouth. A robot has been sent south by the NZ Army, and cameras will be sent down to view the mine once the bore being drilled on the mountain above the mine, has been completed in a few hours. The bore will also enable quicker monitoring of the poisonous gases down in the mine. Heat-seeking equipment can also be dropped down the bore in an attempt to confirm that there is life down there.
While the miners may be out of food, there are plenty of fresh water supplies throughout the mine. Any injured miners will obviously be in need of treatment by now
.
On the negative side of the ledger, there may well be a decision tomorow to search and recover bodies down in the mine. As I wrote above, the names of all of the miners have been made available to the media, and have been distributed by the various radio and television networks. And Pike River could turn out to be another West Virginia scenario

But being the usually positive character I am, all the miners could well be rescued tomorrow and emulate the situation over the mountains in Christchurch where there are still no fatalities from the massive 7.1 earthquake there a few months ago, apart from a number of heart attack fatalities which may be attributed to that disaster, and nearly three thousand after-shocks as well.

As the man said, cross your fingers and hope to die. But still no rescue yet. But tomorrows another day!

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

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No rescue at Pike River mine yet...

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  No rescue at Pike River mine yet...

  
  

  Not much is really happening at the Pike River mine at Greymouth on New Zealand's West Coast.

  Preparations for rescuing the 29 trapped miners has been made, Six five man rescue teams are ready at a moments notice. A specialist team from Australia has arrived in Christchurch. A fleet of ambulance are parked to be able to take survivors to Greymouth Base Hospital, or over the mountains to Christchurch City Hospital. Hospital staff are at the ready. Family members are becoming stressed out with waiting.

  Greymouth is filling up with relatives, media members, well-wishers and the rescue personnel.

  But the dangerous levels of poisonous gases , such as methane and ethane, are still too high. Levels are checked by helicopter every thirty minutes during daylight hours. The police chief in the area refuses to allow rescuers into the mine until it is safe to do so.It has now been over 48 hours since the mine explosion. Please read the news story below:

  "Trapped miners of all ages and backgrounds are among the victims.
  The backgrounds of the missing miners - not all of whom have been identified to date - are as wide and varied as their ages, hailing from as far abroad as Scotland and South Africa.

  Blair Sims - A talented rugby league player, Blair is the West Coast player of the year for the past two season. He is the husband of a young wife and father to two young children.

  Ben Rockhouse - Aged in his 20s, Ben is the brother of Daniel Rockhouse who was one of the two that walked out after the explosion yesterday.

  Michael Monk - Michael is the son of Paroa Hotel owner Bernie Monk who is a local legend, and part of the well known Monk family. Michael is a keen rugby player for Blaketown and West Coast

  Joseph Dunbar - It is understood the day of the explosion was 17-year-old Joseph's first day working underground at the mine.

  Milton Osborne - Milton is serving his second term as a Grey District Councillor for the Eastern Ward and lives in the Grey Valley. Milton is a contractor at the Pike River mine.

  Malcolm Campbell - A 25-year-old Scotsman from St Andrews, Malcolm is due to marry his Kiwi fiancee Amanda Shields on December 18.

  Peter Rodger - Peter moved from Scotland to New Zealand two years ago to be closer to his mother and sister, and lives with his Kiwi girlfriend Dianne Morris.

  A former oil rig worker, the 40-year-old made the switch to mining after sustaining a leg injury in the North Sea.

  Koos Jonker - The wife of South African Koos Jonker, Christelle, left a moving message on her facebook page thanking people for their support and asking to "keep on believing" her husband is OK.

  Josh Ufer - The girlfriend of Queenslander Josh, 27, is due to give birth in May. Josh is working at the mine as an underground drill supervisor.

  Zen Drew - Zen is a building apprentice for a company contracted to Pike River Coal. Laurie Drew, the father of 20-year-old Zen, has voiced his concerns about how slow the rescue is.

  Alan Dixon - Alan, 60, is one of the oldest of the 29 miners caught up in the disaster. He made the call to his partner in Runanga just after the blast.

  Brendon Palmer - Second generation miner Brendon was walking into the 2.5km-deep tunnel when he passed his father Marty Palmer, who had just finished a shift at 8am on Friday morning. Marty said he had reported gas problems when he finished his shift.

  Terry Kitchin - Runanga man Terry had apparently finished his shift prior to the explosion but opted to do two hours overtime.

  Kane Nieper - Kane is married to the daughter of a local contractor and has a young family.

  Peter O'Neill - The Runanga man is reported by the Otago Daily Times to have been involved in the rescue of miners trapped in floods at Black Reef mine two years ago and his brother is involved in the mines rescue team for this rescue.

  Chris Duggan - Runanga

  Conrad Adams - Greymouth

  Glen Cruise - Cobden"

  Acknowledgements: NZ Herald

  http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

Image via WikipediaFamilies gathering outside the site of the underground mine explosion at the Pike River on the West Coast, NZ...


Families are gathering outside the site of an underground mine explosion at the Pike River on the West Coast this evening, where 27 miners remain unaccounted for.The reported fatality has not yet been confirmed here just after 9pm  Friday evening NZ time,

At least two people have now emerged from the mine, following the explosion. They have been taken to Westport DHB with moderate injuries
.
The two miners indicated three of their colleagues were also on their way to the surface.
Some media were reporting one fatality but West Coast DHB could not confirm the death.

Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall said he had not received any reports of fatalities.

He described the safety conditions in the mine as excellent and said the trapped miners had safety equipment.

"Every worker carried a safety rescue device at all times including a breathing apparatus with oxygen," Mr Whittall said.

"The men are between two and two and a half kilometres inside, but because the mine drills into the side of the mountain they are probably only 120 below the surface.

"The issue for the rescue team will be to ensure that the ventilation underground is adequate for them to go in and find the men."

He said it was only speculation that the men were trapped because they were trained to go to a place of safety and to wait.

Blast rips through mine
West Coast Mine Rescue workers were preparing to enter the mine, 50km northeast of Greymouth, around 8pm.
An afternoon shift of miners and some management were underground at the Pike River Coal Mine near Greymouth when an explosion occurred around 3.45pm.

Earlier, Mr Whittall said 27 workers remained missing - 15 employees and 12 contractors.

Emergency services are at the mine's processing plant in Atarau, halfway between Greymouth and Reefton.
Six ambulances were on the scene, and three rescue helicopters were being sent from Nelson, Greymouth and Christchurch.

St John ambulance has more than 20 staff at the scene at the moment and is sending additional staff from Christchurch.

Police said they could not give full details yet but 36 tags belonging to miners were still hanging on the board at the mine.

"Those miners have not yet been heard from," said police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn
.
Police say there is concern that ventilation inside the mine shaft may be compromised by the power outage.
Loader driver blown 1500m

There was a power outage at the mine this afternoon, and an electrician went in to investigate about 3.50pm. He discovered a loader driver who had been blown off his machine about 1500m into the mine shaft, she said.
He was one of the two men to emerge from the mine.

Two workers had emerged from the mine, but they had been working in a different area.

The two miners escaped by walking two kilometres in a valley inside the mine, climbing up inside the mountain. They eventually emerged through an escape portal.

Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee, who expects to be at the scene around 11pm, said the blast happened at 3.45pm and the last contact with any of the miners was lost at 4.15pm
.
He said mine officials had no idea what caused the blast, or the condition of the miners who were trapped.
The Mayor of Grey District, Tony Kokshoorn, who rushed to the site of the blast, said "it's not good".
"With a bit of luck, it might be okay but there are 25 to 30 unaccounted for."

Rapid response mines rescue teams have been mobilised from their headquarters at Rapahoe, seven miles north of Greymouth.

Escape tunnels in mine

Herald video journalist Simon Baker, who has been in the mine, says it does have an evacuation chute where miners can escape if the main entrance to the mine tunnel is blocked.

"They've built a small channel, which is just a ladder to the top of the mountain," said Mr Baker.

Mr Brownlee confirmed the existence of the exit tunnels but didn't know if they could be accessed by the miners.

He said he would be going to the mine tonight.

"Any assistance the Government can provide, the Government will be there."
Pike River Coal Mine

The mine is located 46 km to the northeast of Greymouth, halfway between Greymouth and Reefton.

The Brunner seam at Pike River holds the largest-known deposit of hard coking coal in New Zealand, with 58.5 million tonnes of coal in-ground. It runs six kilometres north-south and up to one-half kilometres east-west, averaging about seven metres in thickness
.
The company had recently almost halved its production forecasts for the 2011 year to between 320,000 and 360,000 tonnes
.
The mine is extremely isolated. It is a hill site mine that is made up of horizontal tunnels
.
Around 150 people are employed by the mine. New CEO Peter Whittall started on October 2.

Acknowledgements: NZ Herald staff

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

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