Tropical Cyclone Megan is expected to intensify into a category three system on Sunday evening as the tropical low brings huge rains to Groote Eylandt and causes power outages and flooding in Arnhem Land communities.
Tropical Cyclone Megan is expected to intensify into a category three system on Sunday evening.The cyclone is sitting in the Gulf of Carpentaria and is expected to move southward and make landfall on Monday night or Tuesday morning, before weakening.
Tropical Cyclone Megan has dumped huge rains on Groote Eylandt and damaged power and water infrastructure in Arnhem Land. Megan formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria, near Groote Eylandt, on Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts to the western side of the gulf. The cyclone strengthened into a category two system on Saturday evening and was forecast to move slowly southwards towards the Carpentaria coast and intensify into a category three cyclone by Sunday evening, the Bureau of Meteorology said. It was forecast to make landfall as a category three cyclone late on Monday or early Tuesday morning between Nathan River and the NT/Queensland Border and quickly weaken as it moves west across the Northern Territory.A cyclone warning alert was in place from Groote Eylandt to Mornington Island and stretched as far inland as Borroloola, McArthur River Mine and Robinson River, but did not include Ngukurr or Mornington Island itself. The cyclone was currently sitting to the south-east of Groote Eylandt, with the bureau predicting heavy and intense rainfall to continue along coastal communities.Alia Stevenson, a long-time resident of Groote Eylandt, which received 431 millimetres of rainfall in the past 24 hours, said her family was up into the early hours of Sunday morning preparing to move into a cyclone shelter."It was a full torrential downpour. It's a mess and it's going to be a lot of work to repair."Ms Stevenson said trees were down across the island, the wharf had been damaged, water bubbles had formed under roads, the highway was shut, the supermarket was shut, and residents could not move between communities. She said it was the windiest and wettest storm she had experienced in her 17 years living on Groote Eylandt. "We could hear cupboards tipping over downstairs and we where just trying to gauge where would be best for safety," Ms Stevenson said."We got boots and clothes on and waiting for another update, but the BOM said the system was moving south."The Gemco mine on Groote Eylandt confirmed a key jetty, which is owned by the mine, had been damaged during the storms. A spokesman for the mine said the company had been unable to assess the damage due to dangerous weather.Some residents in Galiwinku, an island west of Nhulunbuy, had to cart water from a bore pump by bucket after the community's water supply was cut-off early on Friday. Darcy Mildenhall, a school teacher on the island, said some people were without water and power for 48 hours. "We lost our power and water on Friday morning and it came back at different times throughout the island," Mr Mildenhall said, "A lot of people here were out on foot in pretty hairy weather trying to fill up water in any containers they could carry, so it was very difficult for a lot of people, especially people living in overcrowded housing.""There wasn't really any notice here on Elcho Island. No real preparations were made," he said. "Throughout the storm, a lot of people in the community were supporting each other and helping each other out. "The school were really good at delivering water and checking up on people, and things like clearing falling trees.""We had a couple of trees come down on power lines in two different places," Mr Caporn said. "And unfortunately, it was on both sides of the island. So what's happened is it's taken out the water pumps."On Friday, residents in Gunbalanya, in western Arnhem Land, were evacuated due to rising floodwaters as heavy rainfall hit parts of the Top End.Police stopped Brad on his morning walk for wearing a hoodie. Ten minutes later, he was dead Audrey closed the doors of a Canberra day spa at 4pm. Within hours, she lost her job and was facing deportationPolitics and race stopped Cymande in their tracks. 50 years later they're being recognised as fathers of hip hopWhy are women in countries with the lowest fertility rates not having kids?This Australian city flag has been called 'problematic'. Should it be changed?Audrey closed the doors of a Canberra day spa at 4pm. Within hours, she lost her job and was facing deportationPolice stopped Brad on his morning walk for wearing a hoodie. Ten minutes later, he was dead Audrey closed the doors of a Canberra day spa at 4pm. Within hours, she lost her job and was facing deportationPolitics and race stopped Cymande in their tracks. 50 years later they're being recognised as fathers of hip hop
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