2012
Tropical Cyclones –
Cyclone Yasi
Emilie Bucci
Geography
1/1/2012
Cyclone Yasi – Natural Hazards Report
What is a tropical cyclone?
Tropical cyclones are intense low-pressure systems that form over warm oceans. It is a system of
winds rotating inward to an area of low atmospheric pressure, with a counter clockwise (northern
hemisphere) or clockwise (southern hemisphere) circulation. They cause widespread destruction in
Australia and other parts of the world, where they are known as hurricanes or typhoons. Once
formed, they can exist for anything from a few days to over three weeks. The paths these storms take
are often unpredictable. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology carefully monitors tropical cyclones
that form around Australia in case they threaten property and lives.
The causes that lead to Cyclone Yasi from happening:
This cyclone developed in the same way as other cyclones:
they form in the band between 5°C and 22°C North and
South of the Equator over oceans with a water temperature
greater than 26.5°C. Warm moist air over these oceans
causes low-pressure systems to develop. The rising air
forms clouds, which release heat, causing the air to rise
further, leading to a tropical storm. If the air pressure in the
upper atmosphere is relatively high it will limit the altitude
that the warm, moist air can rise to. This high pressure
causes the rising air to spiral outwards. Air from the Earth’s
surface rushes into the low pressure system to replace the
air as it spirals outwards in the upper atmosphere, causing
the low pressure to intensify and the spiralling winds to get
stronger. This is the stage when it can develop into a
mature cyclone, or lose its momentum. Even if it has
developed into a mature cyclone, it can still grow in size and
increase its wind speed.
Condensation occurring in the atmosphere from warm, moist air is the key to the energy that
sustains tropical cyclones. They can persist for many days and may follow erratic paths. Once they
travel over land or move to cooler oceans, they tend to dissipate as the warm, moist air is no longer
present. When this happens, they are downgraded to tropical storms, but still cause problems as
they travel inland where they are frequently associated with flooding.
The location of Cyclone
Yasi:
The town of Mission Beach was
hit by the full force of the storm at
midnight on the 3rd of February,
2011. Mission beach is located at
coordinates 17° 52' 16" S Latitude
and 146° 06' 19" E Longitude.
The main part of the cyclone was said to have been an estimated 400 kilometres wide and from near
Midge Point to Cooktown (from one end of the cyclone to another) it would’ve gone approximately
900km down the coast of Queensland. Mission Beach is at an altitude of 10.1m above sea level. The
nearest village to Mission Beach is Bingil bay, which is about 4.24km away. Cairns, which is the
closest major city from Mission
Beach, is approximately 140km
away.
The cyclone extended as far as
Georgetown, 450 kilometres
inland. The eye of the cyclone
alone was estimated 100km wide
and would take an hour to pass,
before more intense winds
followed. Australia’s Bureau of
Meteorology said residents along
a more than 600 kilometre coastal
strip between Cairns and
Proserpine should be prepared
for an “extremely dangerous sea
level rise” as the cyclone
approaches, crosses the coast and
moved inland.
Landform and Climate:
The town of Mission Beach is spread out along a thin, flat strip of land between the ocean and
the hills and farmland behind. The beach is surrounded by green mountains rising just a short
distance inland, and provides views out to the Family Islands. Close to shore at Mission Beach
lies a shallow reef which runs from the mouth of Porter's Creek at the south end of North
Mission Beach, almost to Clump Point, the rocky point at the north end of Mission Beach. During
very low tides portions of this reef are exposed. The climate of Mission Beach consists of hot,
humid weather as it is in the Tropical area of Australia (North Queensland). Its maximum
temperature is 31°C and the minimum temperature is 21°C. Being in the tropics, Mission Beach
has a ‘wet season’ from January to May, which is when most of the 3000mm of rain per year falls
and is also when the cyclone hit. The ‘dry season’, in particular June to September is much like a
northern hemisphere summer with warm, sunny days and cool nights. During the months of
November through to the end of February, it is the main cyclone season for far north
Queensland.
There is a strong relationship between
Mission Beach, its climate, and its
landform, in terms of cyclones. Mission
Beach is located in the Tropical region of
Australia, which has the perfect
conditions and paths for a cyclone to
form and follow. Also, the fact that the
Climate graph of Tropical
North Queensland - Cairns
land is a long, flat strip is ideal for a cyclone, as it is
much easier for it to move over flat land then over
hills. Since the land is so vulnerable because of its
climate, location and landform, many of the crops
that were grown all over North Queensland,
including the Australian grown banana crops and
the sugar cane crops were completely ruined.
Banana farmers, Ken and Eileen Barnes
with their banana crop at Mission Beach
Social Changes:
Social impacts include:
 Stresses which have been placed on families and people because of deaths, properties
being lost, etc.
 Insurance losses
 Destruction of property
 Destruction of numerous crops
 Some people are still recovering from the cyclone, now, especially children
 It has also brought many communities together, helping each other and celebrating the
future, such as the Community Day and Barbeque at Cardwell which 600 people turned
up to this year
Environmental Changes:
Environmental impacts include:
 The deaths and injuries of wildlife in North Queensland
 The destruction of the natural and human environment
 Crops and farms have been completely demolished along with houses and properties,
which now all have to be rebuilt
 Animal habitats destroyed, causing food chains to be broken
 Litter ends up in the oceans which also destroys animal habitats
Economic Changes:
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During the past year, $12 million of reconstruction work has been completed on
Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s assets, only a fraction of the expected $174 million
bill to fix the damage.
Loss of income for people
Damage to so many crops which are still re-growing
Loss and destruction of property and insurance losses and livestock losses
Economic hardship, due to decline in tourism
Food shortage which leads to increased prices
Businesses closed down and people are left unemployed
Tourism stops for a period of time
What is being done?
Individuals: BEFORE
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Boarded up their windows
Evacuated the areas
Stored water and gathered food
Individuals: AFTER
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Cleaned up the community as volunteers helped each other out
Cleaning up the crops
Rebuilding houses and crops
Restored power
Restored other utilities
Searched for injured people
Groups:
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In December, a two-year $825,000 program kicked off, with natural resource
management groups and indigenous rangers working to improve glider and cassowary
habitat through revegetation, fire control and fencing
The State Emergency Service (SES) Redcliffe Group volunteers answered calls for help
from Queensland regions affected by floods and cyclone Yasi
Insurance companies – where individuals have insurance cover, they may claim for
damages on their insurance policy
Army, police, ambulances – restore the town, emergency repairs to restore key
infrastructure such as water, and sewerage. They also helped people in need, getting
supplies and equipment, medical assistance, and located survivors
Charities such as the Red Cross – recruiting volunteers to help locate survivors, donate
money for rebuilding
Rotary groups – volunteers to help clean up, locate people, assist anyone in anyway
needed, donate money
Student groups – student groups that schools organise to go and clean up, assist, and do
anything else they can as volunteers
The Adventist Development
and Relief Agency (ADRA)
Australia committed $50, 000
to support those affected by the
devastating Cyclone Yasi
The Australian Defence Force
(ADF) provided support to the
Queensland emergency
services; they led response and
recovery operations in the
wake of the Tropical Cyclone
Yasi
Australian Army soldiers helping to
Tully after Cyclone Yasi, Townsville
Government:
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Built cyclone shelters for future cyclones
Building regulations for all buildings built in cyclone zones which make sure they can
withstand wind
Julia Gillard had promised the Queensland people that the full resources of the
Australian government would be made available to them
The Prime Minister and the Attorney-General announced Commonwealth Government
assistance for people in far North Queensland affected by the impact of Tropical Cyclone
Yasi. Financial assistance that was provided included: The Disaster Income Subside,
Exgratia payment for New Zealanders affected by flooding, The Australian Government
Disaster Recovery Payment and the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.
Immediate response:
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An immediate search for missing people
Urgent power restoration
4000 soldiers stationed in Townsville
Aircraft and helicopters were made available from the defence force
Naval vessels that are stationed off Queensland were used as emergency centres
Equipment, supplies, food, water and medical equipment were sent
Advertising volunteering so everyone knew about the cyclone so they could go and help,
started almost after a day of the disaster
Charities such as Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul donated many supplies and money to
the victims
Prevention Strategies:
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Warning and educating people about what to do if a cyclone was to occur
The Australian Crisis Coordination committee advises the government of what is needed
in North Queensland
Build cyclone shelters that the whole community can fit in
There is a law that any building that is built in these areas has to be able to withstand a
certain level of force so, if there is a cyclone, there is less to rebuild afterwards
The towns are being re-built, more stable and in slightly different places to avoid
destruction again
Bibliography:
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http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-hurricane.htm
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http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/02/09/206231_news.html
http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/travel-info/weather/weather_home.cfm
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/01/30/203095_cyclone.html
http://redcliffe-and-bayside-herald.whereilive.com.au/news/story/redcliffe-ses-crewshelp-in-cyclone-yasi-zone/
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/gillard-will-slash-budget-to-covercost-20110202-1advs.html
Geography Focus 2 – geography textbook