After two almost stationary days dumping rain off the Northern Territory coast, Tropical Cyclone Owen has finally switched direction and started to track back to Queensland.
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As of Friday morning Owen was a Category 3 cyclone 95 km northeast of Port McArthur and 250 km northwest of Mornington Island.
Preparations for self-evacuation began on Mornington Island began on Tuesday.
Mornington Shire Council CEO Frank Mills said they are working closely with the state government to get more flights over the next couple of days to assist in the process.
“A lot of council accommodation is not safe for people to stay in during any period of cyclonic weather so we are looking at the self evacuation of around 60-80 staff over the next two days,” Mr Mills said.
“If the threat of the cyclone becomes stronger than a Category three then a lot of other people will want to self evacuate too.
“Its about having processes in place, we are one of the most cyclone prone places in Australia, there is no cyclone refuge or shelter here for the people so it creates a significant amount of difficulty.”
Mr Mills warned residents to be mindful of making sure their yards were clean and that no debris was laying around that could potentially become a missile in strong winds.
“Make sure they have their cyclone kits in place and let relatives and friends know what’s going on,” he said.
