Cyclone warning before Christmas
The Get Ready U’Fella cyclone week has gained significant momentum ahead of what could be the [potential] first cyclone of the season.
For the past ten days the Queensland Government, GIVIT and Mornington Shire Council initiative included a mass clean up on the remote island, including the removal of loose branches and objects around homes.
Council’s infrastructure department explained this was about being realistic that extreme weather events occur in Queensland, and the more prepared residents are -‐ the faster the community will bounce back should a cyclone eventuate.
Council worked with GIVIT to develop a Cyclone Pantry Kit should residents be in a situation where a natural disaster impacted fishing for tucker and supplies in the local store become scarce [cut off from the once weekly barge].
GIVIT Founder and CEO, Juliette Wright, said, “when Mornington Shire Council contacted us we knew we wanted to support this community and the people working to make a difference”.
“We tapped into our national donor database and requested funds to purchase non-‐perishable food for Cyclone Pantry Kits to provide to residents.”
Once goods arrive [on this weeks barge], the kits will be assembled and handed to every Mornington Island household [1200 residents].
The bureau of meteorology warns communities on western Cape York and the southern Gulf of Carpentaria should prepare for a cyclone in the next two days.
Senior forecaster Jaunty Hall says, “a monsoon trough and tropical low appears to be strengthening and could become a cyclone over the Mornington Shire region”.
“This environment will be very conducive [to] further intensification and hence we have a high chance of development of a tropical cyclone by Wednesday.”
Mornington Shire is an isolated Australian community with no current commercial flights operating on island due to the unsafe condition of the main runway.
Council is urging residents awaiting flights to “be patient and slow down” ahead of the wild weather expected to continue for the next seven days.
It will be a Bulngarr Wunda [Lardil word for constant, very heavy rain] Christmas -‐ nature’s way of refilling the local dams and replenishing water supplies to the people of Gununa.
