Stay calm, it's Cyclone Lam
West Arnhem Regional Council Works Officers Jamie Yibarbuk, Hezekiah Guwanguwan and Duncan Dennis remove a fallen tree in Maningrida in the wake of Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam.
WARRUWI Airport was abuzz early on Thursday 19 February as emergency crews evacuated Goulburn Island in the face of an incoming severe tropical cyclone.
Cyclone Lam crossed the coast 80km east of Maningrida at around 2am on Friday 20 February, leaving a trail of destruction through the East Arnhem communities of Gapuwiak, Ramingining and Milingimbi.
Speaking to The Wire from Warruwi on Thursday morning, West Arnhem Regional Council (WARC) Services Officer Kupa Teao said he was impressed by the speed and scale of the evacuation operation.
“It been an amazing scene here in the past hour,” Mr Teao said. “At the moment we have close to 100 people 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.”
Acting Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said more than 430 people were evacuated from Goulburn Island, with 11 men choosing to remain on the ground in in their community. The evacuees were housed at the Darwin Showgrounds evacuation centre.
Warruwi local Mobie Wees said the community was alerted on Wednesday afternoon it was being evacuated to Darwin.
“It wasn’t anything new to me because it is my second evacuation from Warruwi,” she said.
In Maningrida, preparations for cyclone season began early, with a community-wide clean-up competition in August last year.
WARC staff worked late into Thursday afternoon to assist in clearing loose objects that could become lethal missiles in high winds, as well as tying down fencing, construction materials and other material, before heading home to make preparations for their own families.
Speaking in Maningrida, NT Emergency Services (NTES) volunteer Troy Ezzy told ABC News it was important everyone knew what to do when full force winds hit.
“Everyone here has gone through this before but we need to make sure they know what to do,” he said.
Residents were advised to stay in their house of it was built to cyclone code or try to stay with friends or family where possible.
The local emergency planning committee met in Maningrida on Thursday morning to discuss the community’s preparedness. Local police constable John Tickner said the groundwork had been done.
“We’re as prepared as we can be, and that’s a result of the good work done by the various organisations and stakeholders in the community getting us prepared,” Const. Tickner said.
Officials in Maningrida had originally hoped there would be no need to open public cyclone shelters. The shelters include the local school, which holds up to 300 people, the Maningrida Development Association officer, which holds 50 people, the Bawinanga Aboriginal offices, which hold 50 people, and the community-owned hotel, which can hold 100 people.Maningrida was on the edge of the destructive path of Cyclone Lam, and copped some wild weather overnight, with houses shaking in heavy winds, but escaped with only a few fallen trees and minor power outage.
Late on Thursday night the cyclone shelter at the school was pressed into use to house around 200 people.
But it was Gapuwiak, Ramingining and Milingimbi that experienced the full force of Tropical Cyclone Lam.
The eye of the storm passed directly over Ramingining, with health clinic manager Rhonda Golsby-Smith describing it as “a wild ride”.
“It was a bit scary really because the house was really shaking,” she said.
East Arnhem Regional Council President Banambi Wunungmurra said preparations undertaken by Council staff, stakeholders and community members had reduced potential damage and ensured there was no loss of life.
“Together we are now working to reduce and remove potential hazards caused by the cyclone’s destruction, and get community life back to normality as soon as possible,” Mr Wunungmurra said.
East Arnhem Regional Council Director of Council Services Ben Waugh said while everyone was safe, there was still a lot of cleaning up to do at Galiwinku.
“Elcho Island was also hit quite hard and unfortunately there was a lot of damage done to power and water infrastructure,” he said.
WARC Mayor Lothar Siebert said “our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in the neighbouring communities in East Arnhem who bore the brunt of Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam”.
Mayor Siebert thanked the WARC works crews, local members of NT Emergency Services teams, NT Police, Power and Water and NT Government staff for their assistance in preparations for the cyclone, and the NT Government for their precautionary evacuation of Goulburn Island.
Some of the 430 residents of Goulburn Island board an 18-seater helicopter in the face on an intensifying tropical cyclone on Thursday 19 February. PHOTO: KUPA TEAO