What was the response of the community and the government to Cyclone Tracy?

Answer 1

Individual responses: * Some ignored the warnings - many residents chose this option because there had been previous threats of cyclones, yet Darwin had not actually been hit by a cyclone for many years, and it was also Christmas Eve - surely they wouldn't be hit at Christmas?! * Heeding the warnings and taking the suggested precautions for securing items and preparing for loss of services, e.g. water, electricity. * Evacuating early, before the cyclone hit. Afterwards, The response of the victims: Most of Darwin's residents were evacuated, and many of them chose not to return, but to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Groups and Government: * First response came from the Northern Territory police who had already made emergency preparations at Darwin and Casuarina police stations. As soon as the first damage reports came in, the police were seeing to road blockages, attending medical emergencies and directing people away from fallen power lines. 150 people were taken to shelter at the police station in this first wave of damage, but they then needed to organise the use of school for shelter, because so many people had lost their homes. When many more ended up sheltering at the schools, police organised other people to help with cooking, medical help, logistics of hygiene (such as digging latrines), collecting clothing and bedding donations, etc. * Late on Christmas night Major-General Stretton, Director of the newly formed National Disasters Organisation, arrived at Darwin to coordinate evacuations, with a team of surgeons and nurses. * The army also came to assist. There were unpleasant tasks such as searching for bodies, cleaning out refrigerators which were filled with (by now) rotting food, and having to shoot packs of starving dogs that posed a threat to the survivors. The Army and Navy were brought in to deal with these sometimes dangerous cleanup tasks. * From 25 December, the Federal Department of Housing and Construction (in Melbourne) organised officers to begin clearing debris and restore power and communications. Electrical contractor crews cleared fallen power lines organised portable generators wherever available. The officers also worked to repair and restore water pumps and pipelines to get water and sewerage systems working again. Where houses were still intact, tarpaulins were placed over damaged roofs. * Beginning from 27 December, hundreds more police from interstate began to arrive to help out. Emergency supplies and equipment were brought to Darwin from other cities. Equipment included generators and emergency accommodation. The RAAF (Royal Australia Air Force) transport fleet helped bring in supplies to Darwin, and evacuate over 9,500 people to southern centres.