Cyclone Marcus bears down on Darwin
Tropical Cyclone Marcus has cut a swath of destruction through the Top End capital as authorities blast NT risk takers.
Roads in and out of Darwin CBD including the Stuart Highway, the Northern Territory’s main arterial thoroughfare, have been blocked by fallen trees after Tropical Cyclone Marcus struck a direct hit on the Top End capital today.
Some cars, even those parked along the city’s main shopping strip, were crushed by debris, although there did not appear to have been much structural damage to buildings. Residents are beginning to emerge from their homes and shelters to survey the damage.
Many backyards appeared to have been stripped of foliage and most streets had some trees uprooted. But during a brief survey of central parts of the Northern Territory’s most populous city, home to about 140,000 people, The Weekend Australian spotted homes with obvious damage.
Large parts of Darwin suffered blackouts as the category two system passed over. Authorities issued a boil-water alert due to problems with the supply.
A small area of one suburb had to be evacuated in response to a gas leak caused by a punctured cylinder. There have also been reports that emergency services were forced to rescue an elderly couple from a boat that had broken its moorings at the height of the storm.
NT Emergency Services issued a statement saying they were working through about 200 reported incidents. “We have a high number of reports of downed trees and powerlines across the region,” Regional Controller Warren Jackson said.
“All power lines should be treated as live. Our team is working to asses and make safe downed wires as quickly as they can.
“In the meantime, we’d ask people to avoid downed lines and trees, which may be covering live wires.
“Fallen trees and branches are blocking a number of areas. We’re clearing debris from around Royal Darwin Hospital and the airport as a high priority.”
“People are being asked to refrain from travelling around the Greater Darwin region as the assessment and clean up phase gets underway.”
Forecasters were predicted wind gusts of up to 130km/h ahead Cyclone Marcus. The storm had been expected to weaken to a category one system before striking Darwin but kept its strength as it passed over the Van Diemen Gulf in the early hours of this morning.
A Warning Zone remains in place for Cape Hotham to Mitchell Plateau, including Darwin. A Watch zone is in place from Cockatoo Island to Mitchell Plateau.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts Cyclone Marcus will move off the NT coastline between Dundee Beach and Channel Point into the Timor Sea in the next few hours.
It’s forecast to re-intensify to a Category 2 system before approaching the northeast Kimberley during Sunday.
Authorities took aim at some people who had flouted safety advice.
“It’s disappointing to see people are still on the roads, risking their lives despite all our warnings,” Regional Controller Warren Jackson said.
“Emergency services are assessing every call at the moment, but we have limited capacity to respond.
“People should only call if there’s an immediate threat to life.”
The cyclone intensified to a category-two storm around 6.30am on Saturday as it bore down on the Northern Territory capital.
It was about 95 kilometres northeast of Darwin and moving southeast by about 12km/h, the Bureau of Meteorology said this morning.
As Marcus approached on Friday, the AFL Northern Territory moved its grand final series in Darwin from Saturday to Sunday.
“A final call will be made, no later than 8am Sunday should the warning remain in place or the stadium be deemed unsafe or unfit to play on,” the competition said in a statement.
The Palmerston Council election scheduled for Saturday has also been postponed to next weekend.
with AAP
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