On Thursday, police closed the highway along the Pilbara coast between Port Hedland and the tourist town of Broome, 610 kilometers (380 miles) to the northeast, to prevent motorists from risking the worsening conditions. Authorities expect the North West Coastal Highway will be impassable due to flooding before Ilsa passes.
Port Hedland and Broome are the largest population centers in the Pilbara region with 16,000 and 15,000 people respectively.
Bidyadanga, home to around 700 people midway between Wallal Downs Station and Broome, stocked enough food and fuel by Thursday to last a week in case the community is isolated by floodwater. Bidyadanga CEO Tania Baxter said maintaining the community’s electricity would be critical to how they weather the storm.
“Without power, we haven’t got water and possibly even communications,” Baxter said. “So if we can maintain power supply, then we’ll be fine. We’ll manage everything else that comes with it and any damage that comes.”
Many in the cyclone’s path have evacuated in recent days. In Port Hedland, from which the world’s largest bulk export port sends Australian iron ore around the globe, evacuation centers have opened to people whose homes might not withstand the storm, Mayor Peter Carter said.
“Everyone is on edge,” Carter said. “They understand that cyclones are what they are. They’re very, very unpredictable.”
Long-term Port Hedland resident Julie Arif, who has experienced several cyclones, said she was concerned for those in Ilsa’s path.
“They’ll be prepared and riding it out. But it is still terrifying, absolutely terrifying,” Arif said. “When you’re inside in a house and there’s just the roar of the wind outside and thumping and banging and crashing. And cyclones happen at nighttime. You don’t know what it is and it’s frightening.”
The weather bureau warned of damaging winds, flooding rain and abnormally high tides along the Pilbara coast as Ilsa passes.
Many people in the Pilbara region are involved in the mining and cattle industries or are tourists taking advantage of the school vacation period that began this week.
Source- Hindustan Times.