Pilbara locals bunker down as Cyclone Ilsa smashes region
People piled into halls on blow up mattresses while others queued up at the bottle-o as they braced for the region’s worst storm in over a decade.
Environment
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Residents of Port Hedland have spent the night bunkered down inside as a category 5 cyclone made landfall with wind speeds nearing 300km/h.
A red alert was issued just hours ahead of Cyclone Ilsa making landfall at midnight.
The system’s arrival revealed an interesting tradition among hardened locals, who saw the red alert as an opportunity to host a cyclone party.
“Yellow alert, baby! Time for a cyclone party w00t!,” one person posted to a community page on Thursday evening.
“Will the bottle shops open today, and if so what time? Just need a couple of last minute things for my cyclone party,” another wrote.
“Just wanna be at home in Hedland at a cyclone party right now,” a third said.
“Accepting invites to cyclone parties – getting pretty bored of sitting in the bathroom,” another said.
Workers shared video of preparations from sites in the heartland of the Pilbara as FIFO workers piled into mess halls or shared rooms with friends to wait out the storm.
A video showing dozens of men lying on blow up mattresses on the floor of what is usually a dining hall has already attracted 40K views on TikTok.
Most appeared unfazed by the extreme wind gusts from within their cyclone-graded buildings and could be seen scrolling on their phones just before midnight.
Meanwhile, others stockpiled chocolate and settled in for a night of watching movies.
On Thursday morning, residents of towns surrounding South Hedland queued up at the drive-through bottle shop to stock up for the night as pubs shut their doors.
“There is a threat to lives and homes. You are in danger and need to act immediately,” WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) warned on Thursday afternoon.
“Stay indoors now. It is too late to leave.”
Extremely destructive winds of up to 315km/h are expected around the centre of Ilsa and will impact areas near Pardoo Roadhouse and De Grey.
Early reports suggest major population centres have escaped the worst of the Cyclone’s force. Residents have only just been issued with “all clear” notices in some parts of the region.
Residents from Broome to Wallal Downs including Port Hedland and extending inland to Marble Bar Road have been given the all clear to leave their homes.
“Wind and storm surge dangers have passed, but you need to take care to avoid the dangers caused by damage,” Emergency WA said in a post to its website at about 6.14am local time.
However, Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern – located directly in the firing line of where the cyclone made landfall – was expecting to emerge to see “great damage”.
“This has been a stressful and challenging time,” the owners shared in a post to their Facebook page in the early hours of the morning.
“Early reports are the roadhouse has suffered great damage, although it’s too early to tell the full extent.”
Originally published as Pilbara locals bunker down as Cyclone Ilsa smashes region
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