Cyclone Ilsa has been downgraded to a tropical low but flash flooding and strong winds are still expected to lash parts of the Northern Territory (NT).
Damaging 100 km/h winds are forecast to hit the Tanami and Lasseter districts on April 15 morning before moving to the Simpson and southern parts of the Barkly district.
Up to 80mm of rain is forecast to fall across a six-hour period, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.
“The main risk of the cyclone has eased since the system is decaying but the risk isn’t over yet, particularly for those communities in southern NT,” meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told ABC TV on April 15.
“While we’re still expecting the gusty and damaging winds through the NT, it’s much less than what we saw as it moved across the Pilbara coast yesterday.”
The severe weather is forecast to move east across the NT on April 15, weakening as it nears Alice Springs in the afternoon.
It comes after Ex-cyclone Ilsa caused damage to parts of remote inland Western Australia.
The system crossed the WA coast early on April 14 between De Grey and Pardoo as a category five.
It was downgraded to category one by the afternoon as it tracked through the eastern Pilbara with wind gusts up to 170 km/h.
Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern, 150 km northeast of Port Hedland, bore the brunt of Ilsa as it made landfall, packing record winds of 213 km/h.
“We are all still a bit shaken and emotional to see the damage,” Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern posted on Facebook.
“She may have wiped us out but she can’t take away our spirit.”
The owners have launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for an estimated $4 million (US$2.7 million) in damage.
“The roof of our roadhouse is gone, staff rooms and buildings have been wiped out, most of the accommodation we offered onsite has been wiped out or received extensive damage,” Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern wrote.
Telfer gold mine operator Newcrest Mining has begun assessing the Pilbara site for hazards such as fallen power lines and loose tree branches as well as any hidden structural damage.
“Pending inspections of the airstrip and village, we aim to commence bringing the majority of people back to site from tomorrow afternoon and through the remainder of the weekend,” the miner said on April 14.
WA Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the full extent of the destruction could take days to assess.
