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Warruwi evacuated as Cyclone Lam bears down

19 February 2015

Evacuees leave Warruwi via an 18-seater chopper early on Thursday 19 February. PHOTO: KUPA TEAO Evacuees leave Warruwi via an 18-seater chopper early on Thursday 19 February. PHOTO: KUPA TEAO

West Arnhem Regional Council WARC is working with Northern Territory Emergency Services and police to assist in the airlifting residents from the community of Warruwi, after the NT Government took the decision to evacuate the island on Thursday 19 February in the face of Tropical Cyclone Lam.

Speaking to The Wire from Warruwi Airport shortly after 9am, WARC Services Officer Kupa Teao said he was impressed by the speed and scale of the operation.

"It been an amazing scene in the past hour," Mr Teao said. "At the moment we have close to 100 at the airport, and around 100 still in the Rec Hall. Two 18-seater choppers have been flying people out, and we have two police planes, one charter, and two planes currently in the air waiting to land."

He said he expected all of Warruwi's residents to be airlifted to Darwin by early afternoon. 2012 Census figures put the population of the island at around 500.

According to ABC News reports this afternoon, Acting Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said more than 430 people had been evacuated from Goulburn Island, while  11 people remained on the ground in Warruwi.

The Wire understands a handful of men had elected to stay on the island.

At 3pm Thursday the Bureau of Meteorology reported TC Lam was 45km north north-east of Elcho Island and 135 km west north-west of Nhulunbuy, about 600km east of Darwin.

It was gusting at 195kph and moving south-west at 9kph.

After tracking in a westerly direction off the coast of east Arnhem Land, the category three storm altered its westerly course in the early hours of Thursday morning, moving south-south-west. It is expected to make landfall on the coast near Elcho Island overnight on Thursday or early Friday, before weakening once it was over land.

This group of Warruwi elders were amongst the first to be flown out from their island community, boarding a charter plane at 6.30am. This photo by Council Services Manager Kupa Teao shows Northern Territory Emergency Services officer Ida Waianga and Constable First Class Scott Aitken overseeing the evacuation of Warruwi. This group of Warruwi elders were amongst the first to be flown out from their island community, boarding a charter plane at 6.30am. This photo by Council Services Manager Kupa Teao shows Northern Territory Emergency Services officer Ida Waianga and Constable First Class Scott Aitken overseeing the evacuation of Warruwi.