Ex-tropical cyclone Lincoln expected to impact Carnarvon as teams swarm in to help with Geraldton operations

More than 30 emergency service personnel from Geraldton and Kalbarri will travel to Carnarvon in preparation for ex-tropical cyclone Lincoln, which is expected to impact the Gascoyne region at the weekend. The cyclone is expected to cross the North West Cape as a category two system on Friday night, with forecasters yet to rule out the possibility of the cyclone developing into a category three. Bureau of Meteorology WA manager for hazard preparedness and response James Ashley said the system was tracking near the North West Cape overnight Friday and was expected to cross the coast between Exmouth and Carnarvon on Saturday. “Once over land, the system will weaken below tropical cyclone intensity and move quickly towards the south south-east,” he said. The cyclone is expected to impact the shire of Carnarvon with heavy rainfall and dangerous wind gusts, while Geraldton is likely to be west of the system as it weakens over land — positioned near the edge of the area of enhanced wind and rain. Department of Fire and Emergency Services said once the cyclone makes landfall it was expected to continue south-east and bring heavy rainfall to the Mid West-Gascoyne, with a risk of flooding. Beginning preparations for the cyclone, Geraldton-based Mid West Gascoyne Regional Operations Centre was in full swing on Thursday afternoon. More than 30 staff and volunteers from Geraldton, Kalbarri and Carnarvon State Emergency Service will be deployed to the cyclone-affected area to assist on the ground, while senior personnel from Perth will be deployed to Geraldton to assist at the operations centre. DFES Mid West-Gascoyne Supt Mark Bowen said an incident management team were conducting preparatory work with isolated camp sites and communities north and south of Carnarvon, as well as town sites in Coral Bay, Upper Gascoyne and Shark Bay. “We’re expecting, based on the current tracks from the Bureau, potential impact north of Carnarvon but then tracking south to the east of Carnarvon and down the North West Coastal Highway before heading over towards Mount Magnet,” he said. Supt Bowen said road closures can be expected over the weekend, particularly on North West Coastal Highway, to avoid people becoming trapped in floodwaters. “We’ll look at potential crossings, the times and probably close that highway for a number of hours until we deem it safe again,” he said. As at Thursday, BOM predicts the cyclone will not directly hit any Gascoyne towns, but Supt Bowen said these weather events can be unpredictable and urged communities to prepare for the worst case scenario. “We ask all towns in that Gascoyne area to be prepared, for people to remove loose items,” he said. “Don’t have the trampoline sitting out the front that’s going to take out the neighbour’s house. Everyone needs to prepare.” The city of Greater Geraldton advised the Mid West community to be prepared for possible bad weather. “While the cyclone is expected to make less of an impact on the Mid West, there could be the possibility of strong winds and rains over the next few days as the Ex-Cyclone moves inland.” BOM continues to monitor the system closely as it crosses Carnarvon.