Tropical Cyclone Zelia has made landfall along the Pilbara coast in Western Australia (WA) as a category-five system, bringing with it destructive wind gusts of up to 290km/h, with the weather bureau warning it is now too late to leave.
The cyclone crossed 65km east of Port Hedland just after noon today, local time, travelling faster (11km/h) than authorities had warned.
Port Hedland sits on the lands of the Kariyarra people and is the second largest Pilbara town, home to more than 15,000 people.
As of 2pm local time, it was tracking south over the inland eastern Pilbara, with wind gusts up to 250km/h and a warning zone extending from Wallal Downs to Whim Creek.
Port Hedland was included in the warning zone and was being hit with severe winds but had avoided the cyclone’s destructive core.
Heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding was likely across coastal and inland areas into Saturday, with flood warnings in place for the De Grey river, where minor flooding was occurring, and Pilbara coastal rivers.
Matthew Collopy, general manager of the Bureau of Meteorology’s environmental prediction services, said while there was still intense danger in the region, the “storm surge risk in line with the movement of the cyclone is greatly reduced for the Port Hedland area.”
He said the system was still producing very heavy rainfall, with rainfall totals expected to be up to 300mm over the next 24 hour with three-day totals of 500mm possible.
The system expanded over Thursday night, with the cyclone stretching to Wallal Downs along the coast, and inland through to Tom Price and Newman.
Several pastoral stations and the remote Pardoo roadhouse are now in the path of the storm.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a series of severe weather warnings for the region, warning of very destructive wind gusts that could reach up to 300km/h.
Angus Hines, a meteorologist at the bureau, said the system was expected to be very damaging, adding that it “does not get any worse”.
“It is a category five system – just a reminder, category five is the top of the scale. It does not get any worse than that, extremely damaging and destructive winds, widespread, rain, flooding and storm surge are all expected.”
“We’re expecting destructive winds near the crossing point, we could see wind gusts of 300km/h. It’s hard to fathom how strong that is, but it can take out trees power lines and completely destroy properties and houses.”
Fellow bureau meteorologist Christy Johnson added that winds travelling more than 160km/h can damage permanent structures like housing.
“The thing to remember is category five is only to do with wind strength,” Johnson said.
“They don’t tell us about how much rainfall. So quite often we see significant impacts after a tropical cyclone moves in or even after it’s weakened.”
BHP, a major player in exporting iron ore from Port Hedland, shut down operations on Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesperson said its personnel were sheltering in category five rated camps and homes.
Port Hedland local Glen Bedford, a mechanical technical officer at BHP’s port operations, said machinery and conveyor belts at the port have been tied down since Wednesday afternoon.
Bedford said the sky had been dark now for more than two days, and that he has had to remain in his home with a toilet that has flooded through the LED light in the ceiling as 90km/h winds hit.
“The shops are empty, all water is gone, canned goods are gone and there is always a line at the bottle shop before a cyclone,” Bedford said.
“Everyone is now locked in their house, no one is allowed out on the streets and I think you get a fine if you get caught out driving around.”
“My neighbour’s tree is down already.”
The WA premier, Roger Cook, said emergency teams throughout the country were on standby, “depending on the damage outcome”.
“We have teams deployed in Carnarvon already so that they can access the area quickly,” Cook said.
Cook added that evacuation centres have been established in Port Hedland and Karratha, with 124 people in the Port Hedland evacuation centre.
He said that just 900 people in Port Hedland and nearby Karratha had downloaded the Emergency WA app and said he needed more people to be connected to the emergency warning system.
“It looks like Karratha and areas around that are going to be spared the most damaging winds, but of course we have a number of people from Port Hedland who haven’t had the opportunity to return home so they are being accommodated at the evacuation centre in Karratha.”
WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) issued a warning on Friday morning advising residents between Pardoo and Whim Creek and inland west of Marble Bar to shelter indoors immediately.
“There is a threat to lives and homes. You are in danger and need to act immediately,” it said in a warning posted to Facebook.
“Shelter indoors now. It is too late to leave. Stay in the strongest, safest part of the building. Stay away from doors and windows, and keep them closed.”
DFES commissioner Darren Klemm told reporters on Friday that emergency services had shifted their focus towards “dealing with the impacts of the destructive weather from this system”.
“It is critical that impacted communities don’t get complacent, because the hazards won’t ease once the cyclone has passed.”
“Conditions after a cyclone can be just as dangerous as the cyclone itself, including damaged buildings, fallen power lines and debris. It is extremely important that people remain indoors until the warnings change.”
The Department of Communities has opened evacuation centres in South Hedland, and Stove Hill, where people were being encouraged to bring bedding such as pillows and blankets if possible.
It comes as major roads across the area have been closed due to rising flood waters, including Port Hedland Road, parts of the Great Northern Highway, Marble Bar Road and Ripon Hills Road.
More than 10,000 sandbags have been handed out in the Pilbara to help people prepare their properties, with extra personnel sent to the region to prepare for the system.
Twenty-one schools in the region have been closed, including Baller primary school, Hedland senior high school, Karratha primary school and Port Hedland primary school.
Climate Councillor professor David Karoly said cyclones had been a constant for northern Australia but they were “different now”.
“The elevated sea surface temperatures are playing a role in helping drive up the intensity as there’s more moisture in the atmosphere and that’s why severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia will potentially create flash flooding when it hits the coast,” he said.
“The warmer oceans have also changed the speed of intensifications: things get ugly more quickly.”
Cyclone Zelia went from a category three to a category five in 24 hours. – Guardian
