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Cyclone Tracy was a category 5 cyclone which devastated the city of Darwin in 1974. Its winds were incredibly strong - the wind gauge at Darwin Airport recorded winds up to 217 kph before the equipment was blown away. Unofficial estimates are that the wind speed reached around 300 kilometres per hour - a phenomenal speed.
Many buildings were not built to withstand such cyclonic forces, and many deaths occurred when buildings or parts of buildings fell on them. Another 16 people were killed because they were aboard a number of vessels at sea when the cyclone struck.
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How many lives were lost in cyclone Tracy?
Officially, 71 people died.
What happened when cyclone Tracy happened?
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974.The cyclone killed 71 people.
When did cyclone Tracy occur?
Cyclone Tracy formed 21 December 1974. It hit Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia December 24-25, 1974. And dissipated December 26th. Cyclone Tracy killed 71 people. Tracy destroyed over 70% of Darwin's infrastructure. And left almost 90% of the population homeless. It caused $837 million in damage.
How devastating was cyclone Tracy?
Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 cyclone which hit Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory, in the early hours of Christmas Day 1974. The winds were so strong that they blew away the instruments at the airport, suggesting that the cyclone was actually category 5 when it hit. 71 people were killed. It wiped out about 70% of the town, which has since been rebuilt to be as cyclone-proof as it possibly can.
How did cyclone Tracy impact Darwin?
71 people were killed. Much of the city was destroyed. Many airplanes were destroyed at the airport. Many people left the city and never returned. Much of the city had to be rebuilt, making it a very different city to what it was before the cyclone hit.
When was the worst cyclone that hit Australia?
The worst cyclone to hit Australia was Cyclone Mahina. It hit north Queensland on 4 March 1899. A category 5 cyclone, it resulted in the greatest death toll of any natural disaster in Australia.Australia's second worst cyclone was Cyclone Tracy, which officially killed 71 people and destroyed 9,000 homes on 25 December 1974.
How many people were officially confirmed dead in Cyclone Tracy?
Officially, 71 people died in tropical cyclone Tracy, which struck Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory, overnight on December 24, 1974, continuing until the morning of December 25. Most of the city was destroyed in the cyclone.Initially, 65 deaths were reported: 49 on land and 16 at sea, but on March 17, 2005 a new Coroner's report found six people on board the vessel Booya, which sank in Darwin Harbour during Cyclone Tracy, to have perished at sea. This effectively revised the previous 'lost at sea' estimate; the official death toll from Cyclone Tracy stands at 71: 49 on land and 22 at sea. The Northern Territory Department of Justice link below documents the Coroner's findings in the matter. Many believe the actual losses to be much higher than the Coronial findings.The Cyclone Tracy Website link includes detailed information as well as a collection of oral histories recorded by locals living in Darwin at the time of the disaster.For a quick-reference fact sheet on Cyclone Tracy, see the Emergency Management Australia link. The Northern Territory Library link supplies data and features an extensive photo collection, while the Wikipedia link provides further information on the disaster. Further information and oral histories can also be viewed at the "Enjoy Darwin" website.
What happen to the people when Cyclone Tracy hit?
Many people were unprepared for Cyclone Tracy, not because of inadequate warnings, but because they were used to summer cyclones, and none had hit the city before. The warnings went virtually unnoticed. Upwards of 71 people were killed, and many more injured. Schools were opened up as emergency shelter, and within days, people were being ecavuated to southern centres. Only about a third of the people living in Darwin at the time actually returned to rebuild. Darwin was largely made up of intransient workers who saw no reason to return. Only those who owned their own homes or businesses, or who had lived in the region for a couple of generations or more, returned.
How many people were injured or died from Cyclone Tracy in Darwin?
Statistics from Cyclone Tracy vary. Some figures indicate there were 145 serious injuries and over 500 minor injuries, whilst other figures indicate there were around 400 serious injuries. The discrepancy in figures occurred because many injuries went unreported, and there was a large number of transients in Darwin at the time. The coroner's report stated that, officially, 71 people were killed out of a city of 43,500 people. Of the people aboard the 22 vessels at sea when the cyclone struck, 16 were never found. There are reports that entire settlements of indigenous people were wiped out, but these reports were never "officially" confirmed. However, documentation from an indigenous point of view indicates at least one community - the Bagot settlement - was wiped out. Most of the people from this community disappeared, and so it is unknown how many were killed or injured.
How much damage was caused by Cyclone Tracy?
On Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, the cyclone left Darwin in shreds. The wind gauge at Darwin Airport officially recorded winds of 217 kilometres per hour before being blown away itself. 71 people were killed, and 9,000 homes destroyed, out of a city of 43,500 people living in 12,000 residences. Many buildings were not built to withstand cyclonic forces, despite being in the cyclone belt. Of the people aboard the 22 vessels at sea when the cyclone struck, 16 were never found. Most of Darwin's residents were evacuated following the devastation, and many of them never returned. However, Darwin was rebuilt according to new building codes, and it is now regarded as a modern multicultural city of around 100,000 people.
What were some statistics on Cyclone Tracy in 1974?
217km/h wind gust950 hectopascals255 rainfall within 12 hours overnightdeath toll-71 peopleinjuries-145 major, over 500 minor70-80% houses destroyedtotal bill-$5 billion(USD 2009)
How many people die from a tropical cyclone in Australia each year?
These days, very few people die from tropical cyclones in Australia.The highest death toll from any cyclone to hit Australia was when Cyclone Mahina hit in 1899. The figure of over 400 deaths - most of which were crew out in a pearling fleet or local indigenous people - has never been repeated in Australia's history.The second worst cyclone occurred in 1918, when 37 people died in Innisfail and another 30-40 people died in outlying areas, as the result of an unnamed cyclone which simply became known as Cyclone Innisfail. Almost equal with this cyclone was Tropical Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin in 1974. This killed 71.Outside of those two cyclones, death tolls have remained low, and in most cases, no one is killed. Other cyclones which have caused deaths include:Cyclone Alba in 1970 - 14 deathsCyclone Althea in 1971 - 3 deathsCyclone Emily in 1972 - 8 deaths, all seamen off the coast of QueenslandCyclone Alby in 1978 - 5 deathsCyclone Bobby in 1995 - 7 deathsAs safety standards for housing have been implemented in recent decades, the death toll has dropped remarkably, with no deaths in the last twenty years. There was one disputed death in Cyclone Larry, 2006, but investigations ruled out a connection to the cyclone. However, just because there have been fewer dead does not mean that the Australian environment has come off lightly. Australia has up to fifteen cyclones hit along its coastline every year, and between them, these other cyclones cause billions of dollars worth of damage to farms and agriculture, businesses, housing and infrastructure.
