An urgent emergency warning has been activated for sections of Western Australia's coastline as Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina poses a direct and immediate threat to lives and property.
Immediate Danger for Coastal Communities
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that Category four Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina is now impacting the northeast Kimberley Coast. The system's very destructive core is predicted to make landfall on Monday afternoon, bringing catastrophic conditions.
Emergency WA has issued the highest level alert for the area stretching from Cambridge Gulf to the north of Faraway Bay. The warning is unequivocal: residents in this zone are in danger and must act immediately to ensure their safety.
Destructive Winds and Flash Flooding Forecast
The cyclone is currently tracking west across the southern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and is expected to cross the coast as a category three system. Communities are bracing for damaging wind gusts up to 120km/h, which are already occurring and will extend inland.
More alarmingly, coastal areas between King George River Mouth and Berkeley River Mouth could experience very destructive wind gusts reaching 185km/h. The system is also set to unleash heavy to locally intense rainfall, creating a significant risk of dangerous flash flooding.
What Residents Must Do Now
Authorities have issued clear and critical instructions for those in the emergency warning zone. The time for evacuation has passed; the focus is now on survival.
You must shelter indoors immediately. Locate the strongest, safest part of your building, such as a bathroom or cellar, and stay there. Keep away from all doors and windows, ensuring they are closed and secured.
It is vital to have your emergency kit with you. Do not go out on the water under any circumstances, as vessels can be easily overpowered and rescue operations may be impossible during the peak of the cyclone. Stay indoors until emergency services officially declare it is safe to go outside.
A Cyclone Watch and Act alert is also current for communities from west of Faraway Bay to east of Governor Islands, north of Oombulgurri and the northwestern parts of Cambridge Gulf. People in this area need to take action now and prepare to shelter from the approaching cyclone.
