Preparing for the Worst... with Beer

As the weekend draws near, Cyclone Vince is heading steadily our way and is due to intensify by Saturday to Category 3 which will redefine it as a ‘severe tropical cyclone’. The Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology defines a Category 3 cyclone thus (capital letter are theirs): ‘Some roof and structural damage. Some caravans destroyed. Power failures likely. A Category 3 cyclone’s strongest winds are VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of 165-224 km/h. These winds correspond to the highest winds on the Beaufort scale, Beaufort 12 (Hurricane).’ The Beaufort Scale’s definition of a Beaufort 12 force wind is truly frightening: ‘Over Land – severe and extensive damage; Over water – the air is filled with foam and spray; sea completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected.’


Luckily, the present plotting of the cyclone shows it taking a South-Easterly direction just before it hits land, travelling parallel to the coast back down towards Exmouth. Therefore, as long as it keeps to its current trajectory it shouldn’t actually make contact with land, which is when it is at its most destructive. The winds will be fierce, the rain will lash down, but we should be safe. Of course, a cyclone, like any weather system, is completely unpredictable and could change at any moment. With that in mind, we have started to prepare for the worst. Or at least, that is what I thought we were doing. The Husband offered to go to the shops to fuel up the car and buy necessary provisions – tinned vegetables and other tinned and dried foods, a portable gas-powered stove in case the power is cut, bottled water, that sort of thing. However, what does he come back with? Two loaves of bread, six tins of baked beans (which he knows I don’t particularly like) and a slab of beer. ‘The beer is to help us get through it,’ he said, adding, ‘you’ll be glad of it if we’re stuck inside for days with nothing to do!’ He obviously enjoys my company so much he needs beer to get him through the possibility of a couple of days with me. Then again, maybe he’s right – cyclone party anybody?!