Cyclone Megan wreaked havoc on the coastal town of Portville, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Despite evacuation efforts, many residents were unable to escape the wrath of the storm, resulting in devastating damages to homes and infrastructure.
The failure of evacuation efforts has raised questions about the effectiveness of emergency response protocols and the preparedness of authorities in dealing with natural disasters. The lack of coordination and communication among officials led to confusion and chaos, leaving many residents stranded and vulnerable.
Borroloola residents suffered through “horrible” conditions shortly after ex-tropical cyclone Megan made landfall.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Shenagh Gamble said the regional town had a long period of “very near category one cyclone strength winds” but the storm had not been equivalent to a tropical cyclone by the time it reached Borroloola.
The storm would continue to track west through inland parts of the Northern Territory over the coming days, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Borroloola on the southwestern side of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The cyclone warning zone stretches hundreds of kilometres along the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Almost 600mm of rain fell at Groote Eylandt over the weekend as the severe weather system moved over the remote island communities.
The wharf on the GEMCO manganese mine was damaged by one of its ships carrying manganese and fuel.
NT police said there was no leakage and authorities were working to remove the ship from the wharf.
Eva Lawler said a team of 30 Australian Defence Force engineers would be travelling to Borroloola on Tuesday to further assess any damage.
Ms Lawler said Darwin’s Foskey Pavilion would remain open, but denied the evacuation efforts had come too late.
Many more have moved to Cape Crawford, just out of the cyclone’s way, in the hope of getting back to town quickly after the storm has passed.
BoM expects Megan will weaken once over the mainland, easing back to a category two as it tracks southwest overnight, passing just south of Port McArthur, Borroloola and the McArthur River Mine.
The system is then expected to fall to a tropical low by Tuesday night as it moves west through the Northern Territory.
Dangerous winds have now eased over Groote Eylandt, off the NT coast, which saw almost 700mm of rain over the weekend as the cyclone passed through.
Almost 600mm of rain fell at Groote Eylandt over the weekend as the severe weather system moved over the remote island communities.
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