Disaster Quiz | Weather Disasters

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1. This cyclone struck Darwin in Australia's north on Christmas Eve in 1974. It was considered Australia's most destructive (known) cyclone up until the 21st century. It is doubtful that an actor with the given names 'Spencer Bonaventure' was involved in this disaster as he passed away in 1967, seven years before the cyclone hit. Which cyclone shares its name with the surname of the aforementioned actor?

Answer: Tracy

Cyclone Tracy was considered the most compact hurricane or equivalent strength cyclone worldwide until Tropical Storm Marco in 2008 with winds extending only 48km from the eye of the storm. Category four Tracy destroyed more than 70 percent of Darwin's buildings and killed 71 people. Over 30,000 people were evacuated and 41,000 of the 47,000 people living in Darwin at the time were left homeless.

Spencer Tracy appeared in more than 70 films between 1930 and 1967. He won two Best Actor Academy Awards after being nominated for nine. He died of a heart attack in June of 1967 with his final film 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' being released six months after his death.

2. This ex-flame of both Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz shares his first name with a cyclone that hit both Papua New Guinea and Queensland (in Australia's north-east) in 1997. Which cyclone killed 25-30 people (depending on the source) in Papua New Guinea before killing five at sea in a yacht then two more in Australia? (As an extra hint, this singer/actor's surname is made up of wood and water ...)

Answer: Justin

Cyclone Justin lasted for three weeks and approached the coast of Cairns twice, finally making landfall as a category two storm on 29th March 1997. Flood and landslide damage was huge with massive losses to sugar cane, vegetable and fruit crops. The total estimated damage bill was $190 million.

Justin Timberlake became famous as the lead singer for boy band 'N Sync in the late 1990s. He previously starred in 'The New Mickey Mouse Club' on Disney Channel with his future bandmate JC Chasez and other well-known stars of his time - Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. He dated Britney Spears from 1999-2002 and Cameron Diaz (a fellow actor) from 2003-2006.

3. This American poetess died almost 100 years before this cyclone hit Queensland. The cyclone caused minimal damage on land but took the lives of eight seamen between the southern and central Queensland coasts. The category four cyclone crossed the coast in March of 1972. This name-sharing poetess lived for 55 years (1830-1886). If I told you the poetess had a surname of 'Dickinson', would you know the name of this cyclone?

Answer: Emily

Although cyclone Emily only really damaged sheds and trees on land it took the lives of eight seamen on the coast of Queensland (in three separate incidents). Emily crossed the coast near Gladstone on the night of the 1-2 April 1972 causing local flooding.

Emily Dickinson wrote more than 1800 poems with less than twelve published during her lifetime. Those published were heavily edited with the first of her work appearing unedited in the 1955 'The Poems of Emily Dickinson'.

4. Both famous person and cyclone in this question may not be all that well-known but both are familiar to me! This category four cyclone passed by my hometown of Perth (Western Australia) not long before I was born in the late 70s (we'll leave my age at that!). Being just after the end of summer, this cyclone resulted in fires which burned 114,000 of forest and farmland. The famous person is someone I remember watching on TV with my dad as I grew up in the 80s. This intrepid adventurer was known for his 'World Safari' travel films and the myriad different women who accompanied him on those travels - although the unusually high number of women companions is may not be so large when the viewer realizes that the films were made over several years and not weeks! I'll also tell you this explorer's surname is 'Mangels'. Can you find the common name between this famous person and cyclone?

Answer: Alby

It is most unusual for a cyclone to reach as far south as Perth as the waters are generally not warm enough to support such a storm. Cyclone Alby however defied the odds and passed the south-west of Western Australia in April of 1978. Five people were killed with two drowning, two being hit by falling trees and one being blown off the roof of his shed - although what he was doing there in the middle of a cyclone is anybody's guess.

Alby Mangels was born in The Netherlands and immigrated to Australia as a child. In 1971 he went travelling with his friend John Fields on what was supposed to be a short trip but ended up taking six years and included visits to several continents. The trip was filmed and, after being shown in Australia in 1981, more trips and films were made.

5. Damaging 85 percent of houses in Port Hedland (north Western Australia) and hitting in 1975, this category five cyclone damaged property in excess of $25 million. Plenty of sheep lost their lives yet thankfully no humans. The famous person this cyclone shares its name with is an English actress and author who spent eight years in front of the camera on TV's 'Dynasty'. She has sold more than 50 million copies of her books and has had them translated into 30 languages. It is unclear as to whether her favourite drink is a Tom Collins? Can you match the famous person with the cyclone?

Answer: Joan

Cyclone Joan crossed the coast 50km west of Port Hedland yet still created a massive damage bill - in excess of $25 million. Winds exceeding 90 km/h hit Port Hedland for more than ten hours with 120 km/h winds buffeting the town for three hours.

Joan Collins OBE, is well-known for both her acting and writing ability. She married several times and is sister to Jackie Collins, a successful actress and writer herself. Joan Collins was nominates for six Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of Alexis in 'Dynasty', winning one in 1993.

6. George Welles was more commonly known by his middle name which he shares with this cyclone that held the record (until the end of the 21st Century) for the lowest pressure ever recorded in the eye of a cyclone to hit Australia of 905 hPa (ABC News website). In 1989 this cyclone crossed the Western Australian cost west of Karratha and at least four lives were lost near Ashmore Island. For a further hint, if I mention 'The War of the Worlds' will you know the name of this director/actor/producer, and consequently the name of this cyclone?

Answer: Orson

Cyclone Orson hit north-west Western Australia in 1989 killing five people and creating a damage bill of around $20 million. 70 homes were damaged in Pannawonica yet, because the cyclone followed a path through a sparsely populated region of Western Australia, it didn't really cause much more damage - that adversely affected too many people. Cyclone Orson took a south-easterly path through Western Australia finally dissipating in the Great Australian Bite, near South Australia.

George Orson Welles shot to fame as narrator and director of the 1938 radio adaptation of the novel 'The War of the Worlds', written by HG Wells. Welles worked in film, theatre, radio and television as director, screenwriter, producer and actor. In 2002, Orson Welles was voted in two British Film Institute polls as the greatest film director of all time.

7. This cyclone crossed the coast of Queensland near Innisfail in 2006 and apart from damaging 10,000 homes and making a huge mess for farmers, I can specifically remember the price of bananas going through the roof! This cyclone shares its name with an actor known for playing JR Ewing in 'Dallas' in the 1980s, and Major Anthony (Tony) Nelson in 'I Dream of Jeannie' in the 1960s. What is the first name of this actor and the name of this cyclone?

Answer: Larry

Cyclone Larry hit the Queensland coast as a category four storm resulting in approximately $1.5 billion damage. Larry surpassed Cyclone Tracy as being the costliest tropical cyclone to ever impact Australia, with cyclone Yasi smashing that record in 2011. Cyclone Larry destroyed nearly 90 percent of Australia's banana crop resulting in a price rise of up to 500 percent!

Larry Hagman has appeared in a multitude of films and TV shows since the 1950s. He was drafted into the US Air Force in 1952 and was stationed in London in the Special Services unit. Hagman spent his time producing and directing shows for servicemen, and even acted in a government training film.

8. This 2005 cyclone was unusual for Australia in that it went through three states. It crossed the Queensland coast as a category two storm before crossing into the Northern Territory as a category four then into Western Australia as a category four cyclone (after crossing the Tiwi Islands as a category three). The Swedish actress that his cyclone shares its name with won three Academy Awards, two Emmys and a Tony award. This actress passed away in 1982 and with her surname being 'Bergman', can you tell me the name of this cyclone?

Answer: Ingrid

Cyclone Ingrid crossed the top of Australia between the third and fifteenth of March in 2005. Several thousand residents were evacuated in all three states that Ingrid hit - Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Five people were killed in Papua New Guinea due to large swells but no loss of life was recorded in Australia.

Ingrid Bergman was best known for her roles in the films 'Casablanca' (1942) and 'Notorious' (1946). Bergman was born in Sweden in 1915 and was named after Princess Ingrid of Sweden (Wikipedia), she died at the age of 67 after a battle with breast cancer.

9. This 1995 category four cyclone crossed the Western Australian coast near Onslow after sinking two fishing trawlers and causing widespread damage. Seven people died with one of those drowning whilst attempting to cross a flooded creek. The famous singer/songwriter sharing his name with this cyclone has gone through a lot of disaster in his own life - although it could be suggested that he was the cause of a lot of it! He married Whitney Houston in 1992 with their marriage being dissolved in 2007. It would be interesting to know if his favourite colour is brown? Which cyclone matches the given name of this famous person?

Answer: Bobby

Cyclone Bobby formed north-west of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory before travelling south-west then south to pass over Onslow in Western Australia's north on the night of the 25th February 1995. During the period of the storm more than 400mm of rain fell on Onslow and surrounding areas with many regional centres recording record monthly rainfall. The highest recorded wind gust was 183km/h at Onslow with estimated wind gusts of up to 270km/h closer to the centre of the cyclone. The only loss of life was that of seven people on two fishing trawlers which were sunk at sea.

Bobby Brown started his career with the band 'New Edition' in the 1970s and 80s. He went solo in the mid 1980s with reasonable success then re-joined 'New Edition' for their comeback album in 1996. Not long after, Brown left 'New Edition' only to join again in 2006. Bobby Brown has also appeared in (although not necessarily starred in) several films and small screen shows.

10. This category four cyclone hit Queensland in 1971 and at the time was considered to be one of the strongest cyclones to hit the area. Magnetic Island had 90 percent of its houses either damaged or destroyed. Ms Gibson, who shares her given name with this cyclone, was the first African-American to compete on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam title (French Open - 1956). Which Ms Gibson shares her name with this cyclone?

Answer: Althea

Forming in the Solomon Islands on the 19th December 1971, Cyclone Althea crossed the coast 50km north of Townsville on 24th December. After travelling inland over approximately half of Queensland, Althea turned south-east and crossed the coast again (this time going out to sea) late on 27th December. Althea eventually fizzled out about half way across the Tasman Sea on her way to New Zealand. Three deaths occurred during the cyclone and massive damage was done to housing around the Townsville area on islands in the path of the storm. Large waves caused damage along the northern Queensland coast even though the storm surge occurred at low tide.

Althea Gibson was the first African American woman to compete on the world tennis tour and also the first African American to plat in the Ladies Professional Golf Association. She also released an album 'Althea Gibson Sings', and appeared in the film 'The Horse Soldiers'. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971 and spent the next several years working in the public service. Althea Gibson died in 2003 at the age of 76.

Source: Author lones78

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Disaster Trivia Quiz

There have been plenty of disastrous cyclones in Australia's history. All these cyclones share their name with someone famous. Can you make the right match, or will this quiz end in disaster?

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