The cleanup efforts have begun in north Queensland’s aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, which was downgraded to a tropical low. Although the system was catastrophic, the damage was surprisingly minimal, with no reported fatalities.
The region experienced strong winds and intense rainfall, with totals reaching 100-150mm, but the worst was expected. According to Ergon Energy, around 100 workers were conducting damage assessments, with a further 600 headed to Townsville over the weekend. Their priority is restoring power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported that the cyclone “decayed rapidly” on Thursday night, from a category three to a category two and then category one system, eventually becoming a tropical low on Friday morning. Wind gusts reached 143km/h offshore, but slowed to 90km/h upon landfall. The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, credited the region’s emergency preparedness for the lack of fatalities.
However, thousands of homes and businesses remain without power, primarily in Townsville. The SES received 215 calls for service in the last 24 hours, but fortunately, no swift water rescues were needed. As the cleanup continues, more calls are expected. The Australian defence force is on standby, but federal emergency management minister Murray Watt believes the state government will be able to manage the situation without assistance.
Townsville airport reopened on Friday, and the city is slowly returning to normal. But flood watch warnings remain in place for coastal and inland catchments, as heavy rainfall and damaging winds continue to pose a threat.
Tropical Cyclone KirrilyRobyn Johnstone, a Townsville resident, lived through Cyclone Yasi in 2011 and the 2019 floods. She expressed her gratitude for the minimal damage and the resilience of her community, saying, “People [up here] are pretty resilient. A lot of people just think the worst of it is gone.”
Maria, who requested her surname not be used due to her job, prepared for her first cyclone by removing bamboo and trees from her home in Kirwan. She felt lucky to have avoided damage and power outages, but acknowledged the fear that comes with experiencing a tropical cyclone.
As the region recovers, residents are left to survey the damage and rebuild. With the threat of continued heavy rainfall and strong winds, the people of north Queensland will need to remain vigilant and prepared for the long road to recovery.