Locals bunker down to be cut off as cyclone nears land
Savannah Meacham |
Herbie Stewart has lived through many cyclones in Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula, but it never gets easier being cut off for weeks.
The manager of Middle Lagoon campground is worried about losing business after Tropical Cyclone Errol made a sudden U-turn overnight.
It is now headed directly for the WA coast, though losing strength. The system is due to hit on the Easter weekend, usually a bustling time for travellers.
“We’re losing customers, we can’t help it if it rains or floods then people don’t come,” Mr Stewart told AAP.
Errol intensified to a category four system overnight – the second-highest classification – which could cause structural damage from severe winds, power loss and a high storm surge.
It is expected to arrive around the northern tip of the Dampier Peninsula on Saturday morning as a reduced category one system, which can still produce wind gusts of 125km/h and heavy rainfall.
As the cyclone tracks towards remote communities, preparations are under way.
The road to Middle Lagoon’s usually idyllic campground, boasting crystal blue waters and white beaches, is a major concern for the many Aboriginal communities in the peninsula.
“Every year we get the monsoon rains and it washes the road out … it is getting worse and worse (with) over half a metre deep puddles,” Mr Stewart said.
“When it’s a cyclone or heavy rain, the road gets blocked off for about a fortnight or three weeks until the water recedes.”
Mr Stewart is begging for the state government to fix and maintain the road into the region.
“The way it is now is terrible,” he said.
Mr Stewart told campers on Thursday that they can stay and likely be stuck for several weeks or head off, with many choosing the latter option.
He has stocked up on ice and supplies in preparation for the cyclone to cut off the business from the rest of the state, with the effects being felt early after he drove through a mass of water on the road.
Apart from losing business, Mr Stewart is feeling calm about the cyclone.
“We’re fine, we’ve been through this many times,” he said.
The skies stretching from Broome to Kuri Bay on the Kimberley Coast are darkening with sporadic rainfall beginning as Errol crawls towards WA.
Errol on Thursday morning was offshore about 485km northwest of Broome and is expected to move slowly southeast, maintaining a category four strength.
Conditions will ramp up for the Kimberley coast on Good Friday, while the system will begin weakening and is expected to drop to a category one by the time it nears the coast.
“It’s still expected to bring strong to damaging winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms from Friday afternoon through until Saturday,” meteorologist Angus Hines said.
A cyclone watch for damaging winds and rain has been issued for the Kimberley coast from Broome to Kuri Bay, including Cape Leveque and Derby.
Northern WA has had two cyclones this season after ex-tropical cyclone Sean reached category three but steered away from the coastline in January while Dianne made landfall on the Kimberley coast as a category two system.
AAP
