Cyclone Tracy Essay

Cyclone Tracy was category 3 hurricane and category 4 tropical cyclone that affected the city of Darwin on Christmas Eve to Christmas Day,1974 . Cyclone Tracy started of as a tropical depression in the Arafura sea. Tracy continued to develop into not only small but extremely intense tropical storm which later developed into a powerful cyclone (see figure 1.1).The hazard developed by two opposing winds meeting and developing a swirl over the tropical oceans. There was low pressure area that had developed in the middle of the swirl where the warm air is forced up (see figure 1.2). Due to this it caused a provision of energy for a Cyclone to form. To start a tropical cyclone the sea surface temperature generally needs to be above 26.5°C which

provides the main source of energy for tropical cyclones. However existing cyclones usually continue as they move over cooler waters. Depending on the favorable wide-scale wind systems the growth of the tropical cyclone is dependable. Weakening or losing the source of energy of the tropical cyclone can occur when the cyclone moves over land or colder oceans or if the cyclone moves into an unfavorable wind system which interrupts the structure of the system.
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2

Economic impacts of Cyclone Tracy

Cyclone Tracy caused disastrous economic effects for Australia. Cyclone Tracy caused a total damage of $837 million in 1974, in today climate that would equate to approximately $4.45 billion(see graph 1.3). This damage was calculated as over 35,000 people to be evacuated from the homes,many of them not returning and at least 90 per cent of homes in Darwin were either destroyed or damaged during the cyclone which meant big costs to rebuild infrastructure and damaged buildings. Many businesses were unable to reopen due to unemployment and their buildings being destroyed. This brought up the cost as the supplies had to be brought in from places further away.

Environmental impacts

The environmental impacts of cyclone Tracy were devastating. The water supplies were ruined by the water being contaminated and the sewerage lines being damaged which resulted to a lack of sanitation and poisons which leaked into the environment. The city of Darwin was destroyed by metal, glass, debris and rubbish being thrown around. The food chain was broken down as trees were uprooted and turned over which caused major loss of animal habitats and there was a large loss of the bird population. The oceans were filled with rubbish that destroyed coral reefs, fish and other animals.

Social impacts

Cyclone Tracy devastated thousand s of families throughout Darwin as Tracy killed 71 people, 49 of those on land and 22 out at sea.

41,000 out of the 47,000 citizens were left homeless. 30,000 of those were forced to evacuate Darwin. Darwin was in a time of crisis and desperately needed help. They needed help to rescue people,rebuild houses,fix services, bring fresh food and water,supply donations,medical supplies,building materials and clothing. Many organizations did come to help Darwin,including national Disasters Organization, Darwin’s Emergency Service, RAAF, Qantas, TAA, Ansett Airways, RAF, RNZAF, US Air force and Darwin’s reconstruction Committee $250 million dollars was donated to Darwin for reconstruction and other parts of Australia donated money, food, clothing, building materials, blankets and medical

supplies.

Individual response

Darwin received the first warning for them being under threat by the cyclone at 12:30pm on Christmas Eve , when a top priority flash cyclone warning was issued advising people that the cyclone was expected to come early Christmas Day. The individuals response for the upcoming event of Tropical Cyclone Tracy varied. For example many people ignored the warnings of the cyclone as there had been previous threats from Cyclone Selma a few weeks before and Darwin hadn't been hit by a cyclone in years. Many people were also caught up in Christmas and many believed that it wouldn't come on Christmas Day. After the cyclone many citizens who decided to stay in Darwin after their homes had been destroyed had to rebuild their houses and many business closed down. This created high unemployment therefore making it harder to rebuild a life in Darwin after the cyclone.

Community groups

Several community groups across Australia began fundraising and relief efforts to assist the survivors after receiving the news of the damage that Cyclone Tracy had caused.

Major reception centers were set up in nearby cities. Small towns along the Stuart highway assisted people who were leaving by road, supplying them with food, fuel, rest and mechanical aid. Hot meals were provided for refugees who stopped at Adelaide River. A day after the cyclone had hit Alice springs had raised over $105,000 to assist with victims of Tracy. At the Boxing Day Test cricket match between Australia and England in Melbourne both teams walked around with boxes collecting money to collects funds for the cyclone

victims.

Political response

Cyclone Tracy came over Darwin at a conflicting time as the Whitlam led Labour government was becoming increasingly unpopular and used the disaster as an excuse for publicity. Prime Minister Whitlam announced that he would leave an overseas trip to return to Australia to announce that the government would introduce special appropriation bills to cover the initial cost of rehabilitating Darwin and establishing a Darwin Reconstruction Commission. The government also used Tracy to illustrate the need for a national approach to major crises, despite the nuances of the Australian federal system. Political leaders from both sides scrambled to visit Darwin and to be seen to be decisive in relief and reconstruction initiates. Cyclone Tracy was also used to show the need for a national approach to major crises,despite the nuances of the Australian federal system. Political leaders from both sides came and visited Darwin to be seen to be decisive in relief and reconstruction initiatives.

Evaluate

Individuals did not react when they should have before Cyclone Tracy came. They underestimated the impact of the Cyclone. Governments need to have a campaign that explains and educates people of the consequences and gives residents a plan to follow. Emergency services should also have the power to make people evacuate. Community groups pulled together extremely well after the cyclone by helping raise money and support for the victims. The only thing I would recommend is more support after the initial response to bring people back when it is safe and help build Darwin back up. It was a very politically motivated response but Darwin did benefit from this while pulling both sides of government together to create reconstruction initiatives . Future management recommendations would include evacuation plans,emergency mana plans,laws to move people into safe areas and building cyclone resistant houses.