When it hit the island-continent, the hurricane was downgraded to a category three. and hit an almost uninhabited area, marked by numerous mines.
A powerful tropical cyclone, with record wind gusts of up to 288 km/h according to the meteorological services, on Friday lashed nearly uninhabited areas of Western Australia where many gold, iron and copper mines are located.
Hurricane Elsa, which has reached Category 5 (highest) status, made landfall near the village of Bardo in the Indian Ocean, a 19-hour drive northeast of Perth. It’s heading into the desert interior of Western Australia on Friday.
There were no reports of injuries
No injuries were reported and the main population centers were spared. “We have not received any requests for help,” emergency services spokesman Peter Sutton told the ABC.
The owners of a gas station and car park in Badu said on social media that their business had suffered severe damage.
According to the meteorological services, at the time of its landfall, the hurricane was accompanied by continuous winds, with an average speed of 218 km/h, and wind gusts of 288 km/h. This is a record for Australia, with the highest recorded wind speed to date of 194 km/h, during Hurricane George in 2007.
Ilsa was downgraded to Category 3 while on land, with winds up to 165 km/h. Emergency services maintained a “red alert” for areas the hurricane is likely to pass through.
Mining operations slowed down as a precaution
Many iron, copper and gold mines, some of the largest in Australia, are located in this region.
Some, like the Newcrest gold mine in the small town of Telfer, have slowed operations as a precaution. Port Hedland, a major iron ore shipping hub, closed earlier this week as the hurricane approached.
According to ANZ Bank, one of Australia’s largest financial institutions, the closure could disrupt the global supply of iron ore, which is used to make steel.
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