IGEM Report 1: 2017-18 - THE CYCLONE DEBBIE REVIEW

The Cyclone Debbie Review

The three concurrent events

North Queensland – cyclone and flooding

Tropical cyclones are a hazard faced by North Queensland every year from November to April. On 28 March, Debbie made landfall at Airlie Beach. The tropical low responsible was identified six days earlier, on 22 March, and was named as a tropical cyclone at 10.00am on 25 March. 33 Debbie intensified to a category 4 severe tropical cyclone off the coast of the Whitsunday Islands on Monday 27 March. On the morning of Tuesday 28 March, it passed over Hayman Island, Hook Island, Whitsunday Island, Hamilton Island, North and South Molle Islands and Daydream Island, bringing dangerous and destructive winds. Hamilton Island recorded the highest peak wind gust of 263km/h. At 12.40pm Debbie reached the mainland, still at category 4. The eye of the storm crossed directly over the town of Airlie Beach before moving across Proserpine as a category 3 cyclone.

The system continued further inland, reaching Collinsville as a category 2 cyclone, still producing winds in excess of 125km/h and finally dissipated to a tropical low southwest of Collinsville in the early

North Queensland

hours of Wednesday 29 March. In the days leading up to landfall, Queensland watched and waited. Initial forecast tracks indicated that

State-level operations

Central Queensland

Townsville, Ayr in Burdekin, or Bowen in the Whitsundays would mark Debbie’s crossing point or could bear the brunt of an associated storm surge. Other North Queensland local governments in its potential path, including Hinchinbrook, Charters Towers, Flinders and Palm Island were also preparing for its effects. Subsequent forecasts for Debbie showed a more southerly track, leading to concerns about storm surge in Mackay and flooding in the Isaac council area.

South East Queensland

North Queensland local and district disaster management group activations and state activations. Data sourced from SDCC, local and district disaster management group reports and interviews

Group

sequence

Date, time

24 March, 10am

25 March, 10am

26 March, 2pm

27 March, 9am

28 March, 4.30am

28 March, 2pm

28 March, 7.15pm

29 March, 5am

29 March, 5pm

30 March, 1pm

31 March, 5am

31 March, 5pm

1 April, 5am

1 April, 1pm

2 April, 5am

2 April, 3pm

3 April, 5am

3 April, 5pm

4 April, 5am

4 April, 5pm

5 April. 5am

5 April, 5pm

6 April, 5am

6 April, 4pm

7 April, 5am

7 April, 4pm

8 April, 6am

9 April, 6am

10 April, 6am

10 April / 4pm

11 April / 6am

Hopevale Cook Wujal Wujal Douglas Yarrabah Cairns Mareeba Cassowary Coast Tablelands Etheridge Palm Island Hinchinbrook Townsville Burdekin Charters Towers Flinders Richmond Whitsunday Mackay Isaac

Activation matrix key Alert Lean forward Stand up Stand down

LDMG

Far North Innisfail Townsville Mackay SDCC, SDCG, QDMC

DDMG

45

4 THE THREE CONCURRENT EVENTS

North Queensland – cyclone and flooding: Map • Activations