Cyclone Tracy

Cyclone Tracy, which struck Darwin, Australia, on Christmas Day in 1974, resulted in the deaths of 71 people. The cyclone caused widespread destruction, damaging or destroying around 70% of the city's buildings. In addition to the fatalities, thousands of residents were left homeless and the event prompted significant changes in building codes and disaster response in Australia.

Cyclone Tracy was particularly destructive due to its intense winds, which reached up to 240 km/h (150 mph), and its sudden formation, which gave little time for preparation. Striking Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974, it caused widespread devastation, demolishing around 70% of the city's buildings and resulting in significant loss of life. The combination of its high wind speeds, the built environment's vulnerability, and the timing during a holiday period led to catastrophic impacts. Additionally, the lack of adequate warning systems contributed to the destruction and chaos.

The state emergency services should have learned the importance of comprehensive disaster preparedness and response planning from Cyclone Tracy. This includes the need for effective communication systems, community education on emergency procedures, and robust infrastructure to withstand severe weather events. Additionally, they should prioritize collaboration with local organizations and ensure rapid deployment of resources for recovery efforts. Lastly, the event underscored the significance of mental health support for affected individuals and families during the recovery process.

It is impossible to know how many pets died and how much wildlife was killed during Cyclone Tracy. Some estimates suggest that as many as 20,000 livestock animals died.

Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin, Australia in 1974, caused significant destruction on the ground but did not have a long-lasting impact on the atmosphere. The storm's immediate effects were localized to the region and did not have a significant impact on the overall atmospheric conditions globally.

Cyclone Tracy had a significant impact on the hydrosphere by causing widespread flooding due to heavy rainfall and storm surges. The storm led to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, impacting freshwater resources and marine ecosystems. The high winds and storm surges also increased coastal erosion and changed the coastline’s physical structure.

Cyclone Tracy caused storm surges and intense rainfall, leading to flooding and erosion on the coastline. The storm also stirred up the ocean, impacting marine life and habitats in the area.

Cyclone Tracy's impact was more localized to the area it directly affected (Northern Australia) rather than the entire Earth's hydrosphere. The cyclone caused significant flooding, storm surges, and intense rain which disrupted the local hydrosphere by altering water levels and causing erosion. However, overall global impact on Earth's hydrosphere was minimal.

Cyclone Tracy, a Category 4 storm that hit Darwin, Australia in 1974, caused significant damage to the lithosphere by uprooting trees, triggering landslides, and eroding coastal areas through storm surges. The intense winds and heavy rainfall also led to soil erosion and destabilization of the ground in affected areas.

Cyclone Tracy was caused by a combination of warm ocean temperatures, high humidity, and atmospheric instability in the waters north of Australia. These conditions led to the formation of a tropical low-pressure system which eventually intensified into a severe cyclone as it moved over the warm waters of the Coral Sea.

Cyclones usually travel over ocean waters on an average of 300 to 400 miles a day. They are the most strongest then, but when they travel over colder ocean waters or land, they will begin to weaken.

Dale Earnhardt's crash itself likely could not have been prevented, but him dying in it may have been prevented had he been wearing a HANS device. It should be noted that had he not died, we likely would not have the SAFER Barriers that are at almost every single racetrack today, but had those been in existence, Dale Earnhardt would almost certainly still be with us.

They are predicted using global climatic measurements (including sea surface temperature) and by using meteorological satellites (which can see them forming and measure their speed and heading).

Cyclones are essentially caused by a combination of warm ocean temperatures, high humidity and low wind shear, which means differences in wind velocity and direction at different heights. If the wind shear is high, it can pull a cyclone apart. Low wind shear increases the chances of the cyclone developing. Cyclone Larry was caused by these factors, in particular, the warm waters of the Coral Sea, where it formed.

Both temperate and tropical cyclones are low pressure adiabatic systems. However, the temperate cyclones are those which occur in mid latitudes i.e. 400 to 600 N & S. These are formed due to convergence of the warm (tropical) and Cold (Polar) airmasses. This is important to note that there confusion somewhere that these are formed by the convergence of warm and cold winds. Difference between winds and airmasses should carefully be understood. These cyclones, being convergence of contrasting airmasses, have clear and well developed fronts. In this way the entire cyclones is divided into four regions /parts. 1. Warm sector; 2. Cold sector; 3. Warm front; and 4. Cold front. The isobars of temperate cyclones are Wedge shaped or oval shaped. Whereas the tropical cyclones are those which occur in lower latitudes, normally 100 to 300 N & S latitudes and are caused due to the convergence of warm dry and warm moist airmasses. These cyclones do not experience fronts, or if have, then very weak fronts. The weather conditions, associated with the cyclone, are studied on the following 5 bases. 1. before arrival of cyclone; 2. Arrival of fore part; 3. Eye of the cyclone; 4. Arrival of back part; and 5. After departure of the cyclone. The isobars of tropical cyclones are circular.

It is difficult to say what specific technology damage was caused by Cyclone Tracy when it hit on Christmas Day 1974. This cyclone left Darwin in tatters, destroying 9,000 homes of a total of 12,000 residences. Telephone lines were damaged so communication was severely compromised. Sewerage lines and water pipes were damaged, causing health issues, and of course electricity was also out. One of the jobs of the defence forces was to go around and remove all rotting food from freezers and refrigerators. One specific example of damage to technology occurred at the airport. The wind gauge at Darwin Airport officially recorded winds of 217 kilometres per hour before being blown away itself.

Cyclones can vary in size, but the largest ones, known as super typhoons or hurricanes, can have a diameter exceeding 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles). These extreme tropical storms can cover a vast area and generate powerful winds and heavy rainfall over wide regions.

The deadliest hurricane to hit the United States was the Galveston, Texas hurricane of September 8, 1900. Between 8,000 and 12,000 people died. The technology for prediction of these storms did not exist, so the town was not evacuated.

The deadliest anywhere in the Atlantic Basin was called "The Great Hurricane" - more than 27,000 people died in Oct 1780, mostly in the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. More recently, Hurricane Mitch killed over 19,000 in 1998 in Central America.

In the Pacific Basin, tropical cyclones unfortunately have a history of even more deaths. The 1970 Bhola cyclone is the deadliest tropical cyclone on record, killing more than 300,000 people and potentially as many as 1 million after striking the densely populated Ganges Delta region of Bangladesh on 13 November 1970. Bangladesh is prone to deadly storms due to a combination of factors: it has an extremely high population density, it is very flat and low-lying (which allows the deadly storm surge to reach very far inland), and the people who live there are generally very poor and lack the means to move even when a warning is given. Several cyclones in the last couple hundred years have killed more than 100,000 people in Bangladesh. The most recent deadly hurricane in this region was Cyclone Nargis that struck Myanmar in 2008 and and killed 140,000.

As you can see, despite the attention that Hurricane Katrina receives in the United States, its death toll (1837) pales in comparison to the deadliest around the world.

First response came from the Northern Territory police who, being among the few who heeded the warnings of cyclone Tracy, 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 arrived at Darwin to coordinate evacuations. He was Director of the newly formed National Disasters Organisation. A team of surgeons and nurses arrived with him. The police and volunteers were still important during this, and 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.