Hi all, I could use some advise regarding the looming t c heading towards Townsville. Should we go inland towards Charters towers or stay put risking damage to our caravan or go north. Any local knowledge would be great.
My first thoughts would be to head inland. You might still get a lot of rain and the wind should have lost a lot if force by then. T.c's can be pretty eratic and if you wait till it's near landfall it may be too late to move, unless it's definitely headed to say Townsville or Bowen region you could go north.
If you decide to stay in Townsville, as a back-up plan checkout the light industrial areas, you might be able to arrange use of a vacant unit to stay in to wait out the storm. Some friends did this a few years ago and it worked out very well for them.
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Going to be a lot of rain falling I would head inland for a while and visit the towns thete. Cyclone force would just about be dead if it got as far as CT.
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sasja, I am involved with the Red Cross emergency evacuation team. If you do not have to be in far nth qld in the next few days, you would be better off not coming up this way until the low/cyclone is gone. When Yasi hit, were advised that Cairns was indirect line for the cyclone, all patients were evacuated from Cairns Base Hospital which was a huge task. As it happened Mission Beach and Tully copped the full force of the disaster, with many inlands regions receiving damage. Keep an eye on the US Naval cyclone site.
Also, on the BOM site, a very interesting section shows the crazy paths that some cyclones have travelled.
Better to be safe than sorry, enjoy your time in the north.
Darmc
I am a Townsville local and at the moment it looks like Townsville might take a hit. I posted GFS forecast for 4pm Sunday last night and have included GFS forcast for 4pm Sunday and 10 am Monday. As you can see the forecast model shows it to be a fairly large system and indicates wind speeds up to 120kph and that could change up or down. Keep a close watch on BOM for forecast cyclone watch and tracking maps. As stated the stronger winds are below the eye and the tracking map will indicate which direction the cyclone will take once it has crossed.
Back in the 90's I was based at Townsville with the Bureau and one option of the disaster plan was for emergency services including the Bureau to locate to the telephone exchange in the city (bomb proof and big) and run the show from there. They also figured that if the town was to be evacuated it would be to the west and the problem was that the roads would soon clog and be impassable.
I was also in Townsville with the Bureau for cyclone "Althea" in '71 where we had wind gusts to 196kph. We had little damage but I filmed houses in our street disintegrating in the storm but really I cannot remember anything about caravan damage but there would have been plenty I'm sure especially at the Rowes Bay Caravan Park.
Personally if I were worried I'd head west to Charters Towers but if staying then talk to the caravan park staff who will have a disaster plan in place and be able to tell you how best to protect your van. If staying do the usuals - plenty of water, batteries, candles tinned food etc.
Cyclones can be no problem if you plan ahead and are fully prepared.
The road from he towers. to Clermont floods at Belyando crossing, and the Comet river sth of Biloela. The Towers is normally allright ,but floods at the Burdiken, at Sellhiem
Max safety is to go inland. Landfall always takes the sting out of the wind speed. High rainfall can be handled by thinking about where to park in the local area. Keeping an eye on the forecast of likely track of the storm will be a good way of working out which direction to head. If you can move away from where a cyclone will cross the coast, I reckon that is a sensible thing to do.
I advise against staying put, no matter what. I have been in a couple of these storms and it was not a pleasant experience. I have seen six foot long star pickets torn out of the ground and a couple of 2 inch by 3 inch hardwood lengths of wood go right through a house, in one side and out the other.
Usual advice - be alert but don't panic.
Iza
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First hint of a cyclone or back weather we remove ourself from the whole area , So easy when you have a mobile home but some people maybe riding out a cyclone is on their bucket list .
I live in Cairns, its not a cyclone yet and I have been through some Winifred, Larry Yarsi to name some
we will prepare and I will move my van to an undercover secure place if it forms.
That said head west as cyclones will peter out to a tropical low after making land fall.
keep an eye on JTWC web site it is US Navy and most accurate
Stay Safe Cheers Mark
A Cairns local of 44 years here. Please check regularly BOM and we found the US Navy site very accurate through Larry and Yasi. If it's a very fast moving cyclone it can travel inland and cause flooding west of the Great Dividing Range. Be careful of local rivers rising quickly. The local police can be very informative. If caught in wind position the van and tug appropriately. We have been in vans through many cyclones. Don't panic be sensible and you will be okay.
Now Maka after the problems in Cardwell the last cyclone , And trouble to boat in port a friend told me he would always leave port and stay with the boat and try to keep out of trouble the best he could , Would that be what you would do ?
The latest on the cyclone is that it could go to Cat 4 - a 5 possible, if it slows down over the sea for long enough. Path still unpredictable.
If it was me - with caravan or motorhome - would head from Townsville to Charters Towers and then on to Hughenden or south to Winton or Longreach.
If it is a big one and tracks right, could still be some pretty strong winds at Charters Towers. Before someone jumps on me and says that is far enough inland to be safe for a van, I will tell you my knowledge of a strong Cat 4 cyclone (George) that hit the construction camps where we'd worked, in WA, in 2007. Camp 1 was about 120kms from the coast. It was built of transportable dongas, built to stand up to Category 3. They were tied down, after a fashion, with metal ties sunk in cement. A heap of dongas were totally wrecked and a couple of people killed, over 20 severely injured. Camp 2 was another 150 kms further south, so a very long way inland. There was only light damage there - but what had been my office donga (and kitchen), was rolled over and over and smashed up - it had been awaiting transport and was not tied down. A caravan would have been decimated.
wendyv, so true! Cyclone Yasi was still a category 1 cyclone when it reached Mt. Isa. A lot of property owners lost a lot of livestock, when trees came down on their fencing. We were on a field trip to Forty Mile Scrub, where there was a lot of damage. Blaze aid volunteers did a tremendous job helping farmers doing fence repairs. Something that surprises me, is the amount of RVers who do not have anchor pegs. (Star pickets work well) Also the lack of anchor points on the slabs in caravan parks. I am aware some parks in WA have them.
People should also make sure they have cash and fuel for there vehicles, gennies etc. When Larry hit the power was cut around 5.00am, just cant remember the exact time, but people could not use the ATM's. The worst problem is most of the power supply in FNQ comes from down south.
As I said in an earlier post, if you don't have to be in the north, don't.
Now Maka after the problems in Cardwell the last cyclone , And trouble to boat in port a friend told me he would always leave port and stay with the boat and try to keep out of trouble the best he could , Would that be what you would do ?
Sasha , going on the latest reports I would be getting out of there Mack to Mackay where you can still move south if you have the wind will be bad but it is the flying debris that starts the damage.
