COMMENT: Oswald offers insight into Marcia's behaviour

IT is just over two years since the tail end of cyclone Oswald ripped through our region.

IT is just over two years since the tail end of cyclone Oswald ripped through our region.

I remember it well because the power went out at my house for six fun-filled days and nights.

Many other residents were worse off with roads collapsing in the Byron hinterland, isolating residents for weeks and months.

Some of the infrastructure damaged in that particular storm has still not been fixed.

Possum Shoot Road in Byron Shire has still not been reopened to general traffic even two years later.

Now we have been told to brace for the fall out from cyclone Marcia.

The deluge is expected today and will continue into tomorrow.

Flash flooding and flood watches have been placed on most of our major river valleys and it may pay to look into your emergency kit and make sure you are stocked.

It would also pay to think about your movements on Friday and think about what would happen if rising flood waters cut you off, or made it difficult to get to or from work, or do the school pick up.

So looking back on Oswald what can we expect this time around?

It caused record rainfall in some areas, flash flooding and destruction from a band of waterspouts.

The highest rainfall over the weekend storm event saw 380mm fall at Hopkins Creek west of Murwillumbah, in the space of 33 hours.

Along with the rain there were high winds, storm surges along the coast and unusually high tides.

Wave frequency increased and beach erosion took place, so perhaps give the beach a miss.