Records show that prior to Tracy, at least six tropical cyclones had severely impacted Darwin. The worst of these was in January when a "disastrous hurricane" nearly destroyed the settlement and 28 people died. However unlike Tracy, it is thought this cyclone did not directly pass over Darwin. And while Tracy was reported as a category four cyclone, some meteorologists today believe it may have been a category five shortly before it made landfall.
At midnight on Christmas Day wind gusts greater than kilometres per hour began to be recorded. The centre of the cyclone reached East Point at am and made landfall just north of Fannie Bay at am. Tracy was so strong it bent a railway signal tower in half. The city was devastated by the cyclone. At least 90 per cent of homes in Darwin were demolished or badly damaged. Forty-five vessels in the harbour were wrecked or damaged. In addition to the 65 people who died, were admitted to hospital with serious injuries.
Vegetation was damaged up to 80 kilometres away from the coast and Darwin felt eerily quiet due to the lack of insect and bird life. Within a week after the cyclone hit more than 30, Darwin residents had been evacuated by air or road, more than two-thirds of the population at that time. As Murphy wrote 10 years after the cyclone: "The impact of Cyclone Tracy has reached far beyond the limits of Darwin itself. All along the tropical coasts of northern Australia and beyond a new cyclone awareness has emerged.
That legacy continues today. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. On 28 February the Whitlam government established the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, following the Prime Minister's pledge to make 'a determined and unremitting effort to rebuild your city and relieve suffering'.
The Commission's mandate was to reconstruct Darwin within five years. In fact, it achieved this in a little more than three years.
In time, some good would come out of the experience of Cyclone Tracy. The main benefit was the introduction of greatly improved building standards that would apply across the entire country.
These included requirements that buildings be clad to protect them against flying debris, and that their roofs be tied to the foundations. The extraordinary official response and public generosity reminds us of our social resilience, of how terrible things can happen, and how we can help each other through them. Fact sheet, National Archives of Australia. The National Museum of Australia acknowledges First Australians and recognises their continuous connection to country, community and culture.
Defining Moments Cyclone Tracy. See our classroom resource. Darwin suburb of Wagaman. In the days and weeks following the disaster, most of the traumatised population left the city. Remains of the Gwynne family home in Wagaman, Darwin. Christmas Day Darwin, indeed the whole of Northern Australia, is no stranger to cyclones. I mpact and aftermath The cyclone crossed the coast near Fannie Bay at around 3. Darwin Reconstruction Commission On 28 February the Whitlam government established the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, following the Prime Minister's pledge to make 'a determined and unremitting effort to rebuild your city and relieve suffering'.
Cyclone Selma had been predicted to hit Darwin earlier that month, but it instead tracked north and did not impact the area. Despite several warnings, the people of Darwin did not evacuate or prepare for the cyclone and many residents continued with their Christmas festivities. Winds accelerated from a breeze to gale force over a short, 5-hour period, and Cyclone Tracy took many of the residents of Darwin by surprise.
It also claimed 71 lives, injured , left 41, homeless, and caused 35, people of the 47, total population of Darwin to evacuate. Australian Government Bureau of Meterology Link. Interactive History Timeline. Disclaimer Please address comments and questions to hurricane etal. Lorem ipsum dolor.
0コメント