Cyclone Lam in northwest Australia plays havoc

#CycloneLam #ElchoIsland #NorthernTerritory Cyclone Lam has struck northwest Australia and has left behind a trail of destruction in the form of houses with roofs peeled back like tin cans, trees uprooted and tossed on to buildings, metal telephone towers levelled as reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 22 February 2015.
As per reports, four remote Australian Northern Territory communities have been hit hardest by the cyclone and rescue and recovery teams have taken up work to assess the damages.
The four worst affected areas are nearly 5000 residents in Galiwinku on Elcho Island, Gapuwiyak in Arnhem Land, Milingimbi and Ramingining – they have borne the brunt of the category four storm. The Northern Territory Government has declared a state of emergency in those areas.
Rescue teams are facing problems because, as acting Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw has said - some people do not want to move out and want to continue in reside in accommodation that is unfit for living.
Work has been taken up to progressively restore water and sewerage services.
It was a strong cyclone with wind speeds reaching 260km/h – even then, there had been no reports of any major injuries or loss of life.