While some of the most at-risk locals were evacuated from the remote community of Bidyadanga to the holiday town of Broome on Thursday afternoon, about 500 stayed behind as Tropical Cyclone Ilsa approached the coast.
The remote Indigenous community itself, WA’s largest, was on the edge of a red alert zone affecting hundreds of kilometres of the Pilbara Coast, but the worst of the storm looked likely to pass further to the south.
Residents evacuated as cyclone bears down on WA coast
Wind speeds were expected to reach 315km/h when the category 5 storm makes landfall about midnight bringing severe weather to communities further south near De Grey and Pardoo.
Preparations were in full swing on Thursday afternoon as residents readied to hunker down.
Some residents were evacuated from the remote community of Bidyadanga to the holiday town of Broome, which was considered to be less exposed to the storm.
Bidyadanga Community CEO Tanya Baxter said some of the community’s most vulnerable people had been evacuated but about 500 residents chose to stay behind.
Residents cleared loose rubbish, branches and debris from their homes and streets in preparation for the severe weather system.
“We should be alright, I think we’re only getting the edge of the cyclone,” one resident told 9News.
Other residents made trips to the supermarket to stock up on food supplies.
The powerful cyclone is expected to cross quickly, with destructive winds pushing inland.
