00:00You've just received word that Tropical Cyclone Mitchell has been upgraded to a Category 2
00:07system. That's also come with an evacuation centre that's being stood up in the next couple
00:12of hours. That'll be open in Karratha at the Karratha Leisureplex, which is a sports centre
00:17there in town. That's because Karratha is right in the middle of a watch and act warning.
00:23People between Wim Creek and Marty are being warned to prepare to take shelter indoors with
00:29Tropical Cyclone Mitchell coming closer to the coast and posing a possible threat to
00:33lives and homes. Now that system formed late last night as a Category 1 about northwest of
00:41Port Hedland. It's currently sitting there now as a Category 2 and expected to keep coming south
00:49and eventually intensify possibly into a Category 3 later today. It will then make landfall somewhere
00:55near Onslow, where I'm coming to you now from tomorrow. So as you can see behind me, residents
01:00here are starting to make their final preparations. Volunteers have laid out sandbags where people are
01:06coming to collect. We've just received word that a supply run of fresh groceries is coming
01:11into town. So residents are starting to bunker down for what could be an intensifying situation.
01:17Yeah, absolutely. And so Alistair, just take us through how residents and industry in the
01:22area have been preparing for this system.
01:27So SES and volunteer centres like the one you can see behind me, right across the Pilbara coast
01:32have opened up in recent days to distribute thousands of sandbags to help residents prepare.
01:37Destructive winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour are expected to start impacting Karratha,
01:43and Wickham from later this evening. And damaging winds could lash further down the coast and
01:48inland from Sunday. So authorities are warning residents to really make those final preparations.
01:54As I mentioned, an evacuation centre has been opened and will be opened from midday today
01:59in Karratha. There in Karratha, supermarket shelves were emptied as people gathered supplies.
02:04And Pilbara Ports, which manages many of the bulk export ports along this stretch of coastline,
02:09has cleared all birds, sending those bulk carriers out to sea. Now that market represents about $150
02:16billion worth of commodities. So some serious preparations being taken by the resources sector
02:21here in the Pilbara. Otherwise in town, people are being urged to clear their gardens of any loose
02:27items or furniture. Sandbagging is a great way to protect yourself from flooding with heavy rainfall
02:31expected and possible flash flooding. And of course, that constant reminder from SES not to drive
02:37through flood borders, should you come across them. But most of all, authorities are asking people
02:41to stay across the latest alerts and warnings. The system is moving faster than initially anticipated,
02:48and things could become a little bit more wild as the day wears on. Absolutely good advice. All right,
02:54Alistair Bates in Onslow for us there. Thank you.
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