Lam Hit with Roar of a Lion

30 CYCLONE GUIDE 2015-16 Devastation on Elcho Island after category 4 Cyclone Lam swept through the remote community. A local resident walks down the worst affected street in the community inspecting the Lam hit damage to house. Picture: Elise Derwin. with roar of a lion CYCLONE Lam, a category 4 “I’m praying it’s all over. It’s storm, made landfall between still drizzling. Milingimbi Island and Elcho “When it was at its peak it Island at 2am on February 19, was like a train rolling through 2015. scrub. It was the strongest storm “The noise was really, really to hit the Northern Territory loud.” since Cyclone Monica in 2006 Ramingining clinic worker and caused about $82 million Rhonda Golsby-Smith said worth of damage. about half the town lost power Cyclone Lam formed from about 6.30pm on the Thursday the monsoon trough on Febru- before the cyclone hit when a ary 12 in the Coral Sea and large tree crashed through moved west. power lines. The system crossed over She said the storm built Cape York into the Gulf of through the night and the most Carpentaria and was declared destructive part was between a Category 1 cyclone and 2-3am, shortly before the eye named Lam by the Bureau of passed over the town. Meteorology on February 16. Ms Golsby-Smith said Cyclone Lam strengthened winds in the back half of the to a Category 4 cyclone – with storm were not as bad as the maximum sustained winds of front. 185km/h and gusts of 205km/h “There wasn’t as much – on February 19 before mak- noise, but there weren’t as ing landfall and wreaking many trees for the wind to havoc on Arnhem Land com- make noise in,” she said. munities Milingimbi, Raming- In response to the damage ining, Galiwinku, Gapuwiyak caused by Cyclone Lam, the and Mapuru Outstation. NT Government declared a Ramingining and Miling- State of Emergency for Milin- imbi suffered direct hits while gimbi, Ramingining, Galiwin- Galiwinku on Elcho Island suf- ku, Gapuwiyak and Mapuru fered the worst damage. Outstation. About 50 homes in Gali- And a team from NSW winku were smashed beyond Rural Fire Services shipped 32 repair while a further 30 were tents to the island to create a severely damaged. mini city for the 300 to 400 The cyclone damaged the displaced residents. airstrip and littered it with de- The tents, originally used to bris, so nothing could land. house people displaced from Phone lines were down, NSW bushfires, were mounted there was no mobile phone re- on the football ground, which ception, water or sewerage, became known as Camp Elcho and the barge landing was all and remained there for four but destroyed. months until transportable In Ramingining, Gavin homes were set up for the Webb’s roof was torn off by the residents. storm, which sounded “like a Some residents could be train rolling through the living in the transportable scrub”. accommodation for years until Then for one beautiful, their original homes are rebuilt scary moment, Lam was silent. as part of a $90 million recov- “I’m looking at the sky and ery effort across all the affected there are hundreds of sea- communities in Arnhem Land. gulls,” Mr Webb told the NT East Arnhem Regional News as the eye of Tropical Council’s Kaye Thurlow esti- Cyclone Lam passed over his mated as many as 600 people roofless home in Ramingining. had been displaced. “I think they’re all lost and She said some of them had flying from the coast. It’s pretty moved to communities on the calm right now. Gove Peninsula. 30 NT NEWS / SUNDAY TERRITORIAN, Friday, October 30, 2015 NTNE01Z01FC - V1.

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