Tropical Cyclone Narelle weakens after lashing Australia’s north-east with winds, rain
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The storm was packing wind speeds of about 195kmh when it hit land in the far north region of Queensland.
PHOTO: EPA
SYDNEY – Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle was losing strength on March 20 after bringing destructive winds, heavy rain and power outages to Australia’s north-east coast that prompted the authorities to warn people to stay indoors.
The cyclone was packing wind speeds reaching about 195kmh, the authorities said, when it hit land in remote parts of the far north region of Queensland state as a Category 4 system, a rung short of the strongest.
“There is a lot of rain in this system, and as it moves it will be hard and fast,” Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told a press conference.
“I don’t want to sugar-coat this. We are going to experience loss of electricity and the damage is likely to be significant with a system of this size.”
In an afternoon update, weather officials downgraded the storm to a Category 3 tropical cyclone as it moved inland, but it was still set to disrupt weather conditions.
Impact had been minimal, with early reports of downed trees and some suggestions of structural damage, Mr Crisafulli added.
Rescue and response teams, including power crews, health workers and ambulances, were in position to begin recovery efforts as needed, Mr Crisafulli said.
Rio Tinto temporarily shut down its two bauxite mines, Amrun and Andoom, in northern Queensland, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Those mines produce about 30 million tonnes of bauxite a year.
In a statement, Rio said the company had activated its cyclone response plans.
“We are focused on making sure our people are safe and our operations are secure. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and take all necessary precautions,” Rio said.
South32 also paused operations at its Gemco manganese mine in the Northern Territory and moved non-essential personnel off-site. Gemco, co-owned by Anglo American, is the world’s largest manganese mine.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall about 550km north of Cairns, the gateway to Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef.
Some residents evacuated to community centres before the cyclone struck, with storm warnings extending across a 600km stretch of coast.
Ms Lucretia Huen, whose family is at the Wellbeing Centre in the rural town of Coen, told ABC News that water supplies had been cut, with people relying on stocks of bottled water.
“Emotions are running high, especially with no water and power, but everyone is on alert,” Ms Huen said.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone was expected to weaken as it moves west across the Cape York Peninsula over the next 18 hours. REUTERS
