NSW: Sky turns orange as dust plagues Sydney
By Kim ChristianWed Sep 23 13:26:51 EST 2009
Wed Sep 23 03:26:51 UTC 2009
SYDNEY, Sept 23 AAP - As dawn broke, Sydney's skyline turned a deep red and then burst into a bright haze of orange.
Some Sydneysiders thought they had awoken to "Armageddon" on Wednesday morning as stiff winds dumped dust from central Australia onto the normally picturesque harbour city.
And there was no escape.
The thick red dust got into everything - cars, lifts, mouths and even onto the bottom of backyard swimming pools.
While many commuters made do by covering their faces with scarfs and towels, the better prepared wore masks as swirly winds pelted dust at anyone unfortunate enough to be outside.
Some of the nation's most famous landmarks were unrecognisable for the first time in decades as the sun struggled to break through the orange clouds.
City worker Glen dug up a souvenir head scarf from the United Arab Emirates to wear for the occasion.
"It works to protect the people from sand storms over there so I thought it would be useful today," he told AAP just after the dust storm hit.
"But people on public transport don't seem to have a sense of humour."
Fire engine and ambulance sirens set the soundtrack for the morning peak with the noise reverberating off CBD skyscrapers.
Barista Tom Grant jokingly described the feeling in the city as "like Armageddon" when he arrived at work at 6am.
But for Japanese restaurant delivery driver Aaron Ahn, 32, the dust was no laughing matter.
He put on a face mask at the start of his shift after experiencing breathing difficulties.
"The dust is everywhere in the wind," he said.
"It is harder to breathe when I'm walking outside and I get a bit dizzy."
Meanwhile on the city's northwest fringe Jeff Pyne bemoaned an imminent cleaning bill after his Riverstone home was battered by wind and a coating of red dust at 5am.
"The dust was everywhere," he said.
"Our pool had a film over the top of it and then it settled to the bottom and became sludge, and I've just paid for it to be cleaned for summer."
The dust coated footpaths, shop floors, train stations and just about any surface the wind could penetrate.
In the city's south, CityRail trains carried the stuff through tunnels and into underground stations.
"When I got on the train at Cronulla all our seats were covered in this red dust," Robyn Jaques said.
"It's got over all of my clothes so they'll need to be cleaned."
For Stacey Abatzis, 35, a big wide scarf wrapped around her face served as the best protection from the onslaught on George Street in the city.
"I'm struggling to breathe a bit at the moment," she said.
Taxi driver Graham Sommer's heart went out to people suffering health difficulties.
"I feel sorry for all the asthmatics and people who suffer allergies," he said.
AAP krc/wjf/apm
