0
Cyclone Tracy
Category 4 Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Australia over the Christmas holiday in 1974. The storm killed 71 people, and caused $837 million in damages.
203 Questions
Who helped out people in Darwin after Cyclone Tracy?
Other Australians helped by offering donations to help the people who lost their homes and possessions - clothing, food, materials, temporary shelter: most Australians did something to help if they could.
AnswerThe Commonwealth Government organised most of the efforts led by Major -General Alan Stretton of the Natural Disasters Organisation, and also the Northern Territory Government. The army was also called in to assist. Various community groups raised funds and distributed aid.The first response came from the Northern Territory police. They 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, collecting clothing and bedding donations, etc.
A medical team also arrived with Major-General Stretton. Meanwhile, 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.
How did Cyclone Tracy start in December 1974?
Cyclone Tracy began as a tropical low several days before it hit Darwin. Up until a few hours before, it was not expected to affect the town, but unexpectedly turned and headed straight for Darwin on Christmas Eve, making a direct hit in the early hours of Christmas Day. See the Web Link below for more information. The site has a number of other pages, including all the warnings issued in the preceding days.
A cyclone - which is the Australian name for a hurricane - caused Cyclone Tracy. It actually began as a tropical depression in the Arafura Sea, north of Darwin. It developed into a small, but very intense tropical storm, which then developed cyclone status, passing right over Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. Cyclones are intense low pressure systems which begin rotating and form a central eye. Part of the reason for the high damage level was the unpredictable way that Tracy moved. It had been travelling south-west, but turned 90 degrees to the south-east and headed straight for Darwin, catching many people by surprise.
See the Related Link ' Cyclone Tracy Website' below and follow the links within the site to learn about how all cyclones develop and how Tracy behaved over the hours leading up to and following landfall. Cyclone Tracy intensified from a storm that developed out in the Arafura Sea. Cyclones can only form if certain conditions are present: e.g. the surface temperature of the ocean needs to be 26.5°C or higher, and there must be a tropical low present. The low air pressure system then begins to pull in clouds and rotate.
What was Darwin like before Cyclone Tracy hit in 1974?
Before Cyclone Tracy hit in 1974, Darwin had a population of 48, 000 residents. Darwin had grown rapidly in the post-war years, and many houses, though comfortable, were not made to withstand cyclonic forces. A lot of houses were raised off the ground, to catch the sea breezes in the high humidity. This meant that in a cyclone, winds could get underneath and literally lift the house off its supporting poles. There were a lot of Aboriginal shanty-town settlements on the fringes of the city, and their housing was completely inadequate for a climate where cyclones could hit.
How many homes were damaged in Cyclone Tracy?
Approximately 9000 homes were destroyed or damaged in Cyclone Tracy.
What social and economic effects did Cyclone Tracy have on Darwin and its surroundings?
Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 (possibly 5) cyclone that hit Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, Australia on Christmas Day 1974.
The cyclone caused great devastation as so many buildings were destroyed, making thousands of people homeless. There were health issues because the sewerage system was damaged, and sewer lines blocked and overflowed, plus there was a lot of rotting garbage that caused disease. People had to leave the city, which meant they suffered the loss of everything they had ever known - home, their possessions, sometimes pets, even some family members. They went through a lot of grief at having to lose all these things. Some people never returned to Darwin, but stayed in other cities, so when Darwin had to rebuild from scratch, it started off with far fewer people living there.
However, it also made the government aware that Darwin and the Northern Territory needed their own government, instead of being governed entirely from Canberra any more. Because of Tracy, the Northern Territory was given self-government, meaning they had a lot more power in making decisions that affected them.
The effects of Cyclone Tracy were profound. Many people lost all they had and left Darwin permanently. Depending on the source, opinions vary that between 65 and 71 people lost their lives.
See the Web Link 'Cyclone Tracy Aftermath Index' below.
Further information:
It is said that the government wanted to downplay the actual death toll, as an election was looming. Sources indicate that only those who died and could actually be identified were included in the death toll. Perhaps hundreds more were killed, especially among the indigenous communities of the area. Locals reported that entire Aboriginal settlements were wiped out, but these deaths were not recorded.
9,000 homes were destroyed, out of a city of 43,500 people living in 12,000 residences. Many buildings were not built to withstand cyclonic forces, despite being in the cyclone belt.
Many of the residents were short-term residents, who had been working in Darwin for just a few years. these were the people who left for other places, and never returned. Only the long-term residents returned to rebuild.
How many people were injured or died from Cyclone Tracy in Darwin?
Statistics from Cyclone Tracy vary. Some figures indicate there were 145 serious injuries and over 500 minor injuries, whilst other figures indicate there were around 400 serious injuries. The discrepancy in figures occurred because many injuries went unreported, and there was a large number of transients in Darwin at the time.
The coroner's report stated that, officially, 71 people were killed out of a city of 43,500 people. Of the people aboard the 22 vessels at sea when the cyclone struck, 16 were never found.
There are reports that entire settlements of indigenous people were wiped out, but these reports were never "officially" confirmed. However, documentation from an indigenous point of view indicates at least one community - the Bagot settlement - was wiped out. Most of the people from this community disappeared, and so it is unknown how many were killed or injured.
How many homes did Cyclone Tracy destroy?
Cyclone Tracy destroyed 9,000 homes out of a city of about 12,000 residences.
What was the cost for the damage after Cyclone Tracy?
The damage bill in 1974 Australian dollars was $800 million.
Why did cyclone Tracy cause so much damage?
because cyclone Tracy is so powerful it's like category 5
When did Cyclone Tracy strike?
Cyclone Tracy made landfall at Darwin in the early hours of Christmas morning, 25 December 1974.
Tracy was not a particularly big cyclone, but its effect was extremely devastating because it hit Darwin directly. 65 people were killed, and 9,000 homes destroyed, out of a city of 43,500 people living in 12,000 residences. Cyclone Tracy was not expected to hit: it did so after appearing to be heading past, meaning that many were caught unawares. Also, the fact that it was Christmas Eve caused many people to be in a state of denial. In terms of power, Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 storm whilst still out at sea, but there is some evidence to suggest that it had reached category 5 status when it made landfall. There was no way to accurately measure its strength at landfall, as it completely blew away the weather instrumentation at Darwin airport. Gale force winds extended from the center for 40km. When it passed over Darwin, the diameter of the eye was 12km.
What time did Cyclone Tracy start?
Cyclone Tracy developed over several days before it turned and headed for Darwin on December 24th 1974. Gale force winds began in the town at around midnight and the peak gust of wind was recorded at 3:05 am on the 25th before the equipment ceased to function.
Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 cyclone which began as a tropical storm in the Arafura Sea. It hit Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory, in the early hours of Christmas Day 1974. The winds were so strong that they blew away the instruments at the airport, suggesting that the cyclone was actually category 5 when it hit. It wiped out about 70% of the town, which has since been rebuilt to be as cyclone-proof as it possibly can.
On 24 December 1974, Cyclone Tracy, which had developed as a tropical storm out in the Arafura Sea, moved in to Darwin Harbour. On Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, the cyclone left the city in shreds.
Cyclone Tracy intensified from a storm that developed out in the Arafura Sea. Cyclones can only form if certain conditions are present: e.g. the surface temperature of the ocean needs to be 26.5°C or higher, and there must be a tropical low present. The low air pressure system then begins to pull in clouds and rotate.
How long did Cyclone Tracy last?
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin just after midnight on Christmas Day in 1974 and lasted until about 7:00 am.
The eye itself took about 35 minutes to pass.
How were people warned before Cyclone Tracy?
There were 33 different types of warnings issued from the Darwin Tropical Cyclone Centre from the 21st to 25th December 1974. These were reported via the media. If you would like to see the warnings, go to the Web Link on the left ' Warnings Issued for Cyclone Tracy.'
How was the weather before Cyclone Tracy?
See the Related Link below to find out more about the lead- up to Cyclone Tracy.
What was the effect of Cyclone Tracy?
The effects of Cyclone Tracy were profound. Many people lost all they had and left Darwin permanently. 65 people lost their lives. See the Web Link 'Cyclone Tracy Aftermath Index' to the left. Further information: It is said that the government wanted to downplay the actual death toll, as an election was looming. Sources indicate that only those who died and could actually be identified were included in the death toll. Perhaps hundreds more were killed, especially among the indigenous communities of the area. Locals reported that entire Aboriginal settlements were wiped out, but these deaths were not recorded. 9,000 homes were destroyed, out of a city of 43,500 people living in 12,000 residences. Many buildings were not built to withstand cyclonic forces, despite being in the cyclone belt.
How many people were evacuated in cyclone Tracy?
About 35000 out of 45000 evacuated the city and many people did not come back.
What cause cyclone Tracy in Christmas Island?
Cyclone Tracy did not actually occur on Christmas Island; it was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck Darwin, Australia, on Christmas Day in 1974. The cyclone was caused by a combination of warm ocean waters, atmospheric instability, and favorable wind patterns, typical of tropical cyclone formation. The intense weather system led to significant destruction in Darwin, with winds reaching up to 240 km/h (150 mph). Christmas Island, located further south, experiences different weather patterns and was not directly affected by Cyclone Tracy.
