Twin cyclones are set to batter western Australia and the Northern Territory this week prompting authorities to arrange the largest evacuation since Cyclone Tracy hit in 1974. A state of emergency has been declared in Northern Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria ahead of Cyclone Trevor’s arrival on Saturday. The terrifying storm is expected to make landfall as a category 4 storm with 170mph winds at about midnight GMT (10am AEST) tomorrow.
The largest evacuation of the territory since Australia’s deadliest storm, Cyclone Tracy, killed 49 people in Darwin, was also activated.
Evacuations were made mandatory after a state of emergency was declared.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner earlier urged residents in the affected areas to heed the warnings because of life-threatening storm surge.
Northern Territory government has lifted an earlier mandatory evacuation for Groote Eylandt and Nhulunbuy after Trevor changed track.
The current warning zone stated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) covers: “Cape Shield in the Northern Territory and inland parts of the eastern Carpentaria District to Karumba in Queensland, and inland parts of the northwest Gulf Country, including Groote Eylandt, Mornington Island, Borroloola, Robinson River, Wollogorang, McArthur River, Cape Crawford, Cresswell Downs and Doomadgee.”
Todd Smith, the Northern Territory manager of the Bureau of Meteorology, told a press conference on Thursday: “We are expecting to see rapid intensification over the next 12 to 24 hours
“It’s really important that people understand this is a very serious cyclone.
“Not only is it very intense, it’s very large, it covers a broad area, so people are going to be impacted by it.”
Meteorologists have also ordered evacuations for a second category 4 cyclone churning across the Indian Ocean towards western Australia.
Cyclone Veronica is predicted to hit the Pilbara coast this week as a category 3 cyclone.
Wind speeds of 102mph (165km/h) winds at the cyclone’s centre.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has warned of a likely severe coastal impact despite some weakening fof Veronica as it hits the coast.
Locals living along the edge between Pardoo and Mardie are at risk from storm surge, dangerous winds and major flooding.
Supermarket shelves have been pictured empty as people desperately stockpile food before hunkering down.