The Bureau of Meteorology says Cyclone Narelle is now a category 3 storm. Image: BOM.
Energy provider Ergon says it’s started to see the impact of Cyclone Narelle on the power network, with almost 3000 customers affected in regional Queensland, nearly 600 of them in Cairns and about 700 on the Cape.
“We expect more emergency outages from this powerful system,” a spokesperson said.
“Two hundred crew members who call Far North Queensland home are ready to respond when it is safe to do so. That means waiting for cyclonic conditions to pass before we have the all-clear to fly crews and all the equipment they need to isolated communities.
“Until damage assessors have eyes on the network, we won’t know how long it will take to restore power. After a cyclone of this intensity, we may be looking at reconstruction rather than repairs.
“This is why we have been urging remote customers and communities to be prepared for lengthy power outages.”
The spokesperson said Ergon Energy was staging out of the Mareeba depot, where crews are accustomed to supporting remote communities after emergency outages.
“Our FNQ crews are leaders in disaster response, but this will be a more complicated restoration effort due to the likely extent of damage and access challenges at remote sites.
“Cyclones blow debris into powerlines and falling trees can bring wires down. People need to stay well away from fallen powerlines and report them to emergency services on 000. The first priority for our crews will be to make sites safe for the community.
“We appreciate every community’s preparedness, patience and support at a really difficult time for them.”
Tropical Cyclone Narelle remains a severe category three system as it moves across Cape York. Residents are reporting extreme winds have knocked over trees and damaged roofs as the system barrels across the cape towards the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The Weipa Town Authority has issued an emergency warning, urging residents to take shelter and stay off the roads. It said conditions were likely to worsen this afternoon.
Cooktown is not in the direct path of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. It was initially in the warning zone but that alert was cancelled in the early hours of this morning.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest forecast, issued shortly before 11 am, said Cyclone Narelle was now at a category 3, with sustained winds near the centre of 155km/h, and wind gusts of 220km/h.
Narelle is moving west at 21km/h, and will continue to move towards the Gulf of Carpentaria, where it is expected to strengthen again.
Coen is still in the firing line, with the bureau warning destructive wind gusts up to 160km/h are possible south of Lockhart River to north of Cape Melville.
The official warning zone includes Cape York Peninsula between Lockhart River and Cape Melville, and between Mapoon and Pormpuraaw, including Coen, Weipa, and Aurukun.
