Cyclones

What are Cyclones? They are large, unpredictable storms that form only in tropical waters. They are called hurricanes or typhoons in the northern hemisphere.

What conditions form cyclones? Warm tropical waters fuel the storms and make them destructively powerful. They often affect areas of northern Australia between November and April when the waters are warm.

Tropical cyclones form in the tropics where water is warm. While many cyclones occur in Australia, both Asia and North America experience this geographical challenge too. Recently, Queensland was affected by cyclones Larry (2006) and Yasi (2011). They caused considerable damage to properties.

Classifying cyclones In Australia there are 5 scales for cyclone classification based on wind speed: Category 1: Damaging winds Category 2: Destructive winds Category 3-5: Very destructive winds. --- Emergency service warnings are given for all cyclones. For cyclones category 3 or above, evacuations may be ordered. Category 1: 63 – 88 km/h Category 2: 89 – 117 km/h Category 3: 118 – 159 km/h Category 4: 160 – 199 km/h Category 5: 200+ km/h

Children's stories from Cyclone Larry “We were getting anything in the yard that might fly away and putting it in one big pile or tying it down.” “It was just like a howling noise... and when you hear a peeling sound and you think, I hope that’s not my roof.” “We got all our valuables and what we hold dear and put them into plastic boxes that had lids that we could seal, and we taped up all the windows.” “We found a shell from the beach in our front yard. The beach is 10 kilometres from where we live.” “The next door neighbour’s shed… It jumped the 6 foot fence.”

Case study: Cyclone Tracy 24-25 December 1974 Crossed the coast at Darwin, NT Category 4 cyclone Wind gusts reached 217 km/h before instruments were torn loose

Case study: Cyclone Tracy

Case study: Cyclone Tracy

Case study: Cyclone Tracy The strength of the winds were so strong, steel girders were bent.

Cyclone Tracy: The Darwin Story “What happened to Darwin on Christmas morning has never happened before. Darwin is devastated. Darwin is destroyed. Darwin looks like a battlefield.” “The sound of literally millions of sheets of corrugated iron being scraped across the ground at 200 miles that thump into rather flimsily built fibre board buildings… people were reminded of the first shots of the atom bomb attacks in Japan.” “Many of the refugees had waited some days for their… departure details [to other Australian cities]. Some had only the clothes they wore.” “At this stage, it was help yourself to whatever relief was available. It was done in a generally responsible way.”

Impact on people 71 people lost their lives 41, 000 homeless 35 000+ people evacuated Destroyed more than 70% of Darwin’s buildings Destroyed transport infrastructure No communications No water, electricity, basic sanitation Health crisis

Response to the event Mass immunisation programs begun City sprayed to control mosquitoes New building codes for locations prone to cyclones Improved emergency responses Many residents chose not to return to Darwin Tourism NT , http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADarwin_6299.jpg

Reflecting on Cyclone Tracy Explain how people can prepare for cyclones. Describe the impacts of cyclones on people. Explain how people have responded to cyclones.

Attributions Slide 2 http://pixabay.com/en/tropical-cyclone-hurricane-isabel-63124/ Slide 4 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Global_tropical_cyclone_tracks-edit2.jpg Slide 5 http://pixabay.com/en/cyclone-catarina-hurricane-62957/ Slide 6 The beginning of the end (Dept. of Community Safety) http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/ram/innisfail%20- %20the%20beginning%20of%20the%20end.wmv Larry's song (Dept. of Community Safety) http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/ram/innisfail%20-%20larrys%20song.wmv Eye spy (Dept. of Community Safety) http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/ram/innisfail%20-%20eye%20spy.wmv Slide 7 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tracy_1974_track.png Slide 8 Aerial view of Wagaman after Cyclone Tracy, 1975. From the collection of the National Archives of Australia [TLF R3327] https://learningplace.eq.edu.au/cx/resources/items/6e7a4836-8685-718c-3dd7- 40d0de5a0a49/4/ViewIMS.jsp Slide 9 Before the clean-up after Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, 1975. From the collection of the National Archives of Australia  [TLF: R3241] https://learningplace.eq.edu.au/cx/resources/items/c9502b41-bb0f-6593-a572- 3dc72062ff1e/4/ViewIMS.jsp Darwin after Cyclone Tracy, 1975. From the collection of the National Archives of Australia. [TLF R3328] https://learningplace.eq.edu.au/cx/resources/items/9f7ece50- b094-13d7-7e39-df5b71363ca6/4/ViewIMS.jsp

Slide 10. Bidgee, http://commons. wikimedia Slide 10 Bidgee, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_Twisted_House_Girders.jpg CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en Slide 11 The Darwin Story: The aftermath of Cyclone Tracy, 1974, Education Services Australia and National Archives of Australia 2013. [TLF R11251] https://learningplace.eq.edu.au/cx/resources/items/963b319e-f662-8597-d00c- e6b545d6e2ad/2/ViewIMS.jsp Slide 12 Back to business after Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, 1974. Reproduced courtesy of National Library of Australia [TLF R3952] https://learningplace.eq.edu.au/cx/resources/items/e05f5df5-c293-a400-1e14- a45f20c58f52/5/ViewIMS.jsp Slide 13 Silva, D., http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Darwincity_DavidSilva_06_copy.jpg CC BY-SA 1.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/deed.en