On Christmas Day 1974, Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, Australia, leaving a lasting scar on the city and its residents. The cyclone claimed 66 lives, injured over 600, and caused widespread destruction, with 80% of buildings damaged or destroyed. Survivors recount the harrowing experience, highlighting the intense winds, relentless rain, and the city's swift transformation into a disaster zone.
In the early hours of Christmas Day 1974, a tropical cyclone swept through Darwin ... leaving an indelible mark on the city and its people. Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy is regarded as one of the most significant cyclones in Australia 's history. 66 people were killed and more than 600 injured. Around 8 out of 10 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged... with a cleanup bill of more than four billion dollars in today's figures.SBS has spoken to survivors of Cyclone Tracy .
Tracy was by no means the most powerful cyclone recorded in Australia, but its path directly through Darwin devastated the city. “It's a little bit surreal because you're watching this monster coming towards Darwin and it's got you in its gun sights. You had the observations coming in from the automatic weather stations saying this thing is very dangerous, people will get killed. That's how serious it was, but you're always hoping that this thing is going to turn before it hits you. That's human nature.
“Emotionally it was scary of course because you think a house is built solid. Then physically, the feeling of the whole house shaking until the roof went off and then it was just a thud a really hard thud. It was a little bit like a sudden jerk if you're in a lift. It suddenly jerks at the floor. It was a bit like that but magnify it by ten times or so.
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