True Territory spirit on show

THE community spirit which has been on display since Cyclone Marcus visited the Top End should be applauded

THE community spirit which has been on display since Cyclone Marcus visited the Top End should be applauded.

The streets were filled with people checking on neighbours and then lending assistance when the all-clear was given or they felt safe enough to wander beyond their front fence.

Everyone was rightly surprised at the extent of the damage and then joked about just how many people in the street owned chainsaws.

The sound of chainsaws echoed across Darwin and Palmerston until well after dark. Crews were out clearing trees so the roadways became less dangerous.

Those on the frontline deserve our thanks for starting the difficult task of clearing.

We must also acknowledge the Bureau of Meteorology for the accuracy of the information they provided. We sometimes joke that weather forecasts in the Territory can be done by cutting and pasting the previous day’s forecast, given how predictable our weather can be.

But cyclones are unpredictable and the team behind Jude Scott, the acting Territory manager at the Weather Bureau, was able to paint an accurate picture of the direction and likely intensity. This information is critical to jolt an apathetic community into action.

If there is anything we can learn from this, it is that moving to hourly updates sooner may have been helpful.

We will now look to the Weather Bureau for guidance again as the talk of a new low forming off the coast increases during the week.

The type of community spirit we have witnessed so far is the way we want our community to come together in times of disaster.

It takes a lot to damage our city and it takes a lot to stop us going about our business.

The efforts of everyone so far have been exceptional but there is still an enormous amount to do. We have more than 20,000 homes without power and it is likely they will stay that way for the next few days.

Patience with delays will be at a premium at times and we ask everyone to ensure they remain as positive as possible. Those working on the frontline must work safely and not cut corners. We appreciate this might be inconvenient but it is a fact of any natural disaster.

The final word has to be directed at our community leaders. We want to see you leading from the front.