How to Recduce the Impact of Such a Disaster

Because of the impact Cyclone Tracy, 'the Insurance Emergency Service which developed into today’s Insurance Disaster Response Organization. The organization coordinates different elements of the insurance industry and the government following any disaster in the country in order to provide “timely and efficient assistance” to policyholders.'  

(Risk Management Solutions, 2005)

How to reduce the impact 

- changing the building codes so less damage would result

- educating the public as to what they should do with a approaching tropical cyclone
- having shelters ready during the tropical storm season.

- Having emergency supplies ready during the tropical storm season

(Australian Bureau of Meterology, 2012)

' Weather forecasting advancements  due to improvements in many areas, including computers, satellites, and scientific understanding. This talk will describe the science behind modern weather forecasting, how it has changed in the past few decades, and the prospects for future improvements, with a focus on severe weather.' (AFAC, 2011)

 

A check-list when preparing for a Tropical Cyclone.

BEFORE THE CYCLONE SEASON

• Check with your local council or your building control authority to see if your home has been built to cyclone standards.
• Check that the walls, roof and eaves of your home are secure.
• Trim treetops and branches well clear of your home (get council permission).
• Preferably fit shutters, or at least metal screens, to all glass areas.
• Clear your property of loose material that could blow about and possibly cause injury or damage during extreme winds.
• In case of a storm surge/tide warning, or other flooding, know your nearest safe high ground and the safest access route to it.
• Prepare an emergency kit containing:

o    a portable battery radio, torch and spare batteries;

o    water containers, dried or canned food and a can opener;

o    matches, fuel lamp, portable stove, cooking gear, eating utensils; and

o    a first aid kit and manual, masking tape for windows and waterproof bags.

• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers on display.
• Check neighbours, especially if recent arrivals, to make sure they are prepared.

WHEN A CYCLONE WATCH IS ISSUED

• Re-check your property for any loose material and tie down (or fill with water) all large, relatively light items such as boats and rubbish bins.
• Fill vehicles' fuel tanks. Check your emergency kit and fill water containers.
• Ensure household members know which is the strongest part of the house and what to do in the event of a cyclone warning or an evacuation.
• Tune to your local radio/TV for further information and warnings.
• Check that neighbours are aware of the situation and are preparing.

WHEN A CYCLONE WARNING IS ISSUED

Depending on official advice provided by your local authorities as the event evolves; the following actions may be warranted.

• If requested by local authorities, collect children from school or childcare centre and go home.
• Park vehicles under solid shelter (hand brake on and in gear).
• Put wooden or plastic outdoor furniture in your pool or inside with other loose items.
• Close shutters or board-up or heavily tape all windows. Draw curtains and lock doors.
• Pack an evacuation kit of warm clothes, essential medications, baby formula, nappies, valuables, important papers, photos and mementos in waterproof bags to be taken with your emergency kit. Large/heavy valuables could be protected in a strong cupboard.
• Remain indoors (with your pets). Stay tuned to your local radio/TV for further information.

ON WARNING OF LOCAL EVACUATION

Based on predicted wind speeds and storm surge heights, evacuation may be necessary. Official advice will be given on local radio/TV regarding safe routes and when to move.

• Wear strong shoes (not thongs) and tough clothing for protection.
• Lock doors; turn off power, gas, and water; take your evacuation and emergency kits.
• If evacuating inland (out of town), take pets and leave early to avoid heavy traffic, flooding and wind hazards.
• If evacuating to a public shelter or higher location, follow police and State/Territory Emergency Services directions.
• If going to a public shelter, take bedding needs and books or games for children.
• Leave pets protected and with food and water.

WHEN THE CYCLONE STRIKES

• Disconnect all electrical appliances. Listen to your battery radio for updates.
• Stay inside and shelter {well clear of windows) in the strongest part of the building, i.e. cellar, internal hallway or bathroom. Keep evacuation and emergency kits with you.
• If the building starts to break up, protect yourself with mattresses, rugs or blankets under a strong table or bench or hold onto a solid fixture, e.g. a water pipe.
• Beware the calm 'eye'. If the wind drops, don't assume the cyclone is over; violent winds will soon resume from another direction. Wait for the official 'all clear'.
• If driving, stop (handbrake on and in gear) - but well away from the sea and clear of trees, power lines and streams. Stay in the vehicle.

AFTER THE CYCLONE

• Don't go outside until officially advised it is safe.
• Check for gas leaks. Don't use electric appliances if wet.
• Listen to local radio for official warnings and advice.
• If you have to evacuate, or did so earlier, don't return until advised. Use a recommended route and don't rush.
• Beware of damaged power lines, bridges, buildings, trees, and don't enter floodwaters.
• Heed all warnings and don't go sightseeing. Check/help neighbours instead.
• Don't make unnecessary telephone calls.

(Australian Bureau of  Meteorology, 2012) 

Sources

Australian Fire and Emergency Service Authority Council. (2011). Weather Forecasting Technology: A long way since Cyclone Tracy.Available: http://knowledgeweb.afac.com.au/research/fire_behaviour/weather/Weather_Forecasting_Technology_A_long_way_since_Cyclone_Tracy. Last accessed 7/11/12.

Australian Government. (2012). Natural Disasters in Australia. Available: http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/natural-disasters. Last accessed 6/11/12.

bom. (1955). Cyclone Tracy. Available: http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/tracy.shtml. Last accessed 24/10/12

Brisbane Times. (2011). Mayor governed a 'heap of rubble'. Available: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/mayor-governed-a-heap-of-rubble-20110202-1advy.html. Last accessed 5/11/12.

Canberra Times. (2012). Yasi, Tracy dwarfed by mother of all storms.Available: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/weather/yasi-tracy-dwarfed-by-mother-of-all-storms-20121030-28ghg.html. Last accessed 6/11/12. 

courier mail. (2012). Cyclone Tracy Destroys Darwin. Available: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/gallery-e6frer9f-1111120656640?page=4. Last accessed 6/11/12.

DOST Service Institutes. (2004). Wind. Available: http://kidlat.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/genmet/instruments/wind.html. Last accessed 8/11/12. 

Duncan, D.B. (2008). (Cyclone Tracy picture). Available: http://www.ohta.org.au/organs/ntdetail.html. Last accessed 7/11/12.

Milliken, EP 1984, People Who Experienced Darwin Cyclone Tracy: Human Responses.
in Report on Proceedings of a Research Workshop on Human Behaviour in Australia.
National Disaster Organisation, Dept. Defence, April 1984.

Murphy, K.M., 1984: Big Blow Up North - A History of Tropical Cyclones in Australia's Northern Territory. University Planning Authority, Darwin, 94pp.

n/a. (1980). Cyclone Tracy Information. Available: http://ntlapp.nt.gov.au/tracy/basic/cyc_tracy.html. Last accessed 21/10/12. (used whole website)

n/a. (2007). 1974 Cyclone Tracy. Available: http://www.enjoy-darwin.com/cyclone-tracy.html. Last accessed 29/10/12.

Neumann, C.J., 1993: Global Overview. Cap. 1, Global Guide to Tropical Cyclone Forecasting. World Meteor. Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland, 1.1-1.56.

Northern Territory Government. (2012). The Day After - Devastation .Available: http://www.artsandmuseums.nt.gov.au/northern-territory-library/the-territorys-story/cyclone-tracy/cyclone_tracy/the_day_after#.UJoHk8WsiSo. Last accessed 7/11/12.

Risk Management Solutions. (2005). Cyclone Tracy - 30 year retrospective. Available: http://www.rms.com/publications/cyclonetracy30yrretro.pdf. Last accessed 5/11/12. 

The Soldiers Newspaper. (2004). Cyclone Tracy- 30 years on. Available: http://www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews/editions/1113/topstories/story21.htm. Last accessed 7/11/12.

Impact on the Environment

The impact on the natural environment after the destruction of Cyclone Tracy was catastrophic. Water supplies were down as the water was contaminated. Sewerage lines were damaged resulting in a lack of sanitation and poisons which leaked into the environment. Metal, glass and debris was thrown all over Darwin.

                                                          (Franchi, M, 1974)

    

Trees were uprooted and turned over. major animal habitats were destroyed. In the early hours the following morning, witnesses signal the loss of a majority of the bird population. The food-chain was broken, as after any natural disaster. The beaches were strewn with decaying marine life, litter was in the oceans destroying coral reefs, fish and other animals. 

                                                                        (Stevens, R, 1974)

The impact Cyclone Tracy had on Darwin was intense, leaving absolutely nothing standing.

                                                   (http://bicycleuser.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/tracy.jpg)

                                          

The Impact on People and Settlements

The impact Cyclone Tracy had on Darwin was immense.  Around 71 people died. Of the people aboard the 22 vessels out at sea, 16 were never found. The population of about 45,000 was reduced to about 10,000 by a mass evacuation of people to other Australian cities.

The destruction of houses with tin roofs, not built to withstand cyclones, or any natural disaster for that matter did not survive. Most people had everything taken away from them by the cyclone and many never returned to Darwin. 

                                                                                               (Pfitzner.M, 1975)

                                                                                   

                        

The cyclone destroyed huge sections of towns and wiped out nearby suburbs. Concrete, glass and debris was thrown around Darwin. The force of the cyclone hurled food over the town. After the storm passed, meats, fruit and vegetables began to rot in the heat. There were major health problems. The sewerage system was damaged, leaving rubbish waste in multiple parts of the city causing disease and crop dusting planes sprayed insecticide over parts of Darwin to help prevent disease.

 (Albert A, 1974)

How Technology was Used to Lessen the Impact of Cyclone Tracy

Since Cyclone Tracy happened in the 1970's in the Northern Territory, technology had not been fully developed or advanced as it is today. Therefore, it was not used to lessen the impact of the disaster. 

                                                                              Pride Caravelle - destroyed in Cyclone Tracy 1974


Cyclone Tracy was a category four or five cyclone, however it's uncertain because the instrument used to measure it, the anemometer, broke. A anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument.

                                                                 (http://kidlat.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/genmet/instruments/wind.html)

Although, the radio was used to pass information through to Darwin residents about the storms leading up to the cyclone. 

The Effectiveness of Emergency Management

The effectiveness of the emergency management for Cyclone Tracy was hasty. The population of Darwin was approximately 48 000 people, and after evacuation period, only 
10 000 stayed. 

The first responses to the Cyclone was the Northern Territory Police. The Army also played an important role in the clean-up of Cyclone Tracy.

Before the cyclone hit, emergency preparations were made and first aid materials were collected at the Darwin and Casuarina police stations. The Commissioner warned officers on duty that their afternoon shifts may be extended.

As the storm was intensifying, police stations received calls of reported damage and road blockage of fallen power lines. By midnight 150 non-police were sheltering at police stations. At 1 am there calls to police officers to save three lives.

As daylight hit, Police patrols estimated that 90% of Darwin buildings were damaged or destroyed, and that the main destruction was in the northern suburbs. Schools were used as emergency centres, and police stations were used as morgues. Police officers had the basic necessities: cooking, hygiene, first aid, and recording facilities at the school emergency centres. The search for dead and injured in the worst hit areas commenced. 27 police officers were injured during the cyclone. 

The Commissioner of the police headquarters was in charge of the large evacuation of Darwin's affected residents. The evacuation of Darwin's residents is the largest in Australia's history.

One police duty which attracted wide and misinformed publicity was patrols to shoot packs of marauding dogs - many owners had turned their animals loose before evacuation.

                                            (Bruce Wernham - first shift for the NT police was the night of Cyclone Tracy)

Evacuation

The priorities for air evacuation were as follows:

Priority one	Pregnant women, sick and injured.
Priority two	Women and children only, unless  father was essential for the well being of the group
Priority three	Elderly people
Priority four	Married couples
Priority five	Single people

The Evacuation of Darwin

Date	By Air	By Road
26 December	1,169
27 December	4,083	4,200
28 December	8,223	1,000
29 December	7,106	1,200
30 December	4,069	634
31 December	978	200
Total	25,628	9,734

Darwin population 31st December 1974: 10,638

(Northern Territory Government, 2012)

The Response from Individuals, Groups, Organisations and Governments

Because of Australia's generosity back in 1974, Darwin was able to get back on its feet. During the evacuation period, the Salvation Army and the Red Cross workers met the survivors in different parts of Australia, and the Red Cross took responsibilities for keeping track of the names and temporary addresses of the Darwin survivors.  

Once the news of the destruction of Cyclone Tracy, community groups across Australia began fundraising and relief efforts to assist the survivors. Approximately twenty-four hours after the storm hit Darwin, the people of Alice Springs raised over $105,000 to assist the victims of Tracy. Down in Melbourne at the Boxing day Test cricket match, members of both teams walked around the stadium carrying buckets which the crowd threw cash into helping the relief funds. The song, "Santa Never Made it to Darwin" composed by Bill Cate was performed by Bill Cate and Boyd Robinson in 1975 to raise money for the relief and reconstruction efforts

Personal Interview;

I briefly interviewed my Grandmother Teresa who was travelling in her camper van through Darwin when Cyclone Tracy hit. She was 28 at the time and recounted how she survived. She was lucky, being one of many to be evacuated. She told me how shocked she was at the force of it and the damage it caused. She had never been through a natural disaster before and she was “utterly terrified”. 

                                             

         

Secondary Interview;

'A woman in labour, a premonition and a jammed window helped Ella Stack's family survive cyclone Tracy.' (Brisbane Times, 2011)

Dr. Stack says she was at the Darwin hospital with a woman in labour the night of the cyclone. Dr. Stack returned to her house and, thanks to women's intuition, told her teenage sons to get to the first floor of the two storey house. The second storey was blown off during the cyclone. Her husband had been sleeping, and woke him up as one of the windows was jammed open, "I got him out of bed … a piece of the verandah [of the] house next door, a weight-bearing, huge piece of wood [was thrown] up into the air, came through the double thickness of the wall … straight through his bed.'' (Brisbane Times, 2011)A few months after the cyclone, Dr Stack was elected mayor of what she described as a ''heap of rubble''. As the news of Cyclone Yasi hit the media, Dr. Stack was praying for those involved.

                                                                                (Dr. Ella Stack)

Australia is such a generous country, and we have been that way since the beginning.

Cyclone Tracy

What is a cyclone? 

Cyclones are massive revolving storms caused by winds blowing around a central area of low atmospheric pressure. Australia's cyclones are known as tropical storms, whose winds blow in a clockwise circle.

What happened?

The events of Christmas eve to Christmas day in 1974 were not what the residents of Darwin in Northern Territory, Australia were expecting. It started off as a light storm a few days earlier...

Before the events of Cyclone Tracy, ABC radio famously reported that it posed
no threat to Australia’s mainland on December 22. Just days after, one hundred and ninety-five millimetres of rain fell in less than nine hours. Cyclone Tracy began as a tropical storm out in the Arafura Sea, north of Darwin. It then intensified and developed into a category 4 cyclone, changing paths and heading straight for Darwin. The cyclone passed directly over Darwin airport at midnight, and had winds between 217 kilometres per hour and was about 96 kilometres wide.  In 1974, Darwin was a very small, rustic town and was not built to withstand cyclones even though it is in the cyclone belt. 

                                                                           (satellite image of cyclone Tracy)

Cyclone Tracy occurred as a Natural part of the weather patterns. Areas such as the Equator and the Tropical regions where Darwin is situated, it is prone to cyclones. Low pressure systems coming down from the equator and high land temperatures- combined with cooler water temperatures caused the cyclone.