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15-04-2023
Bureau Report + Agencies
PERTH/ SYDNEY: A powerful cyclone has hit Western Australia as a category five storm, setting a wind speed record but sparing populated areas from major damage.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa struck the state close to Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub, just before midnight (17:00 BST).
The storm has been downgraded to category three, but a red alert remains in place for some inland communities.
The cyclone is the strongest to hit the region in some 14 years.
Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter described the sound of the wind hitting the town as “very eerie and unusual” and “like a freight train”.
One well-known local tavern and caravan park lying right in the path of the storm, the Pardoo roadhouse suffered “great damage”, its owners said on Facebook but there have so far been no reports of injury to people and all critical infrastructure was undamaged by the cyclone, the region’s fire chief said.
“Once we can get crews onto the ground and helicopters in the air… we will move along the coast just to check to see roads and other critical infrastructure, Peter Sutton told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Winds of 218km/h were recorded on Bedout Island just off the coast as the storm touched down, setting a preliminary 10-minute sustained wind record for Australia.
The previous record was 194km/h – winds that were recorded when Cyclone George slammed into the country in 2007.
While northern Australia is no stranger to cyclones, this storm is the strongest to hit the region in 14 years.
Ilsa’s very destructive winds were moving inland, but the storm is predicted to weaken further overnight into Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said.
As the cyclone approached, Port Hedland residents made last minute preparations by sandbagging and securing homes and businesses, Channel Nine reporter Ezra Holt told media from the town.
He added that there were mixed emotions within the town, with some not too fussed, and others more concerned because cyclones this strong are quite rare.
Ships, including iron ore carriers, were reportedly moved from the Port Hedland harbour as the storm approached.
The last category five cyclone to hit WA was Cyclone Laurence in 2009. Two years earlier, another category five storm, Cyclone George, killed three people as it tore through mining camps just south of Port Hedland.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued a new series of “red alerts” as the storm moved inland, ordering people to stay indoors until given the all-clear.
“There is a threat to lives and homes,” the department said.
Tropical storms typically run out of steam once they reach land but Ilsa is forecast to maintain an unusual intensity as it moves across the desert interior in the coming days with a risk of flash floods and destructive winds.
“As it moves inland and the sun comes up, we can expect it to still be a severe tropical cyclone,” the weather bureau’s hazard response manager Shenagh Gamble said.
The northwest coast of Western Australia is the most “cyclone-prone region” in the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
It also has “the highest incidence of cyclones in the southern hemisphere”.
The region is home to some of Australia’s largest mining operations and holds significant deposits of iron ore, copper and gold.
Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub, also appeared to have escaped the worst of the storm.
