“We would action requests as they come in,” she tells reporters.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Ms McBain says there’s already an ADF liaison officer embedded in Queensland.<\/p>\n
Kristy McBain says there have already been two emergency meetings ahead of Cyclone Narelle’s arrival.<\/p>\n
She’s urging people in Queensland and the Northern Territory to prepare now and enact their emergency plans.<\/p>\n
“This is a very intense system … people should move early if they intend to relocate,” she says.<\/p>\n
Ms McBain says the federal government has received a request to help with evacuations in the Northern Territory, and the Australian Defence Force is now working through its options.<\/p>\n
\n“Defence is working really quickly through those assessments,” she says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
40m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 4:41am<\/p>\n
Federal government ready to support: McBain![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
The federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain is in Canberra providing an update on cyclone preparations.<\/p>\n
She says the government stands ready to support as and when that’s required.<\/p>\n
We’ll bring you live updates from that press conference.<\/p>\n
46m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 4:35am<\/p>\n
Emergency services out and about![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
We’ve heard from the government that emergency services, including the police and the SES, have had their ranks bolstered in the north of the state.<\/p>\n
![\"police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lcimg-24ca0eb8-b8ae-45d3-93a5-e8e6a58443cb.jpeg\")
Police have ben door-knocking locals. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)<\/p>\n
Queensland Police says its officers are out and about today door-knocking and talking to locals to make sure people are prepared.<\/p>\n
![\"police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lcimg-5cdd909d-2caf-4ca1-bed0-af5f64db518f.jpeg\")
Police say they’re getting prepared ahead. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)<\/p>\n
It says they’re also talking to boat owners in the northern Cape areas to ensure vessels are moored and sheltered.<\/p>\n
![\"police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lcimg-452f25c9-2b86-48cd-9af2-8dbe43fe2274.jpeg\")
Police have been speaking to locals and boat owners. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)<\/p>\n
And, they’re again issuing motorists with a warning not to drive unless absolutely necessary, and to keep out of floodwaters.<\/p>\n
57m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 4:24amCyclone Watch officially issued for the NT![\"Emily]()
<\/p>\n
The Bureau of Meteorology has formally issued a Cyclone Watch<\/b> for eastern parts of the Northern Territory’s Top End.<\/p>\n
Narelle is expected to cross the NT coast as a category three system on Saturday, with conditions on Groote Eylandt, located in the Gulf of Carpentaria<\/b>, expected to deteriorate during the day.<\/p>\n
The watch includes communities in the eastern Top End including Groote Eylandt, south of Nhulunbuy, around to Port McArthur, including Borroloola, but not Nhulunbuy <\/b>itself.<\/p>\n
A flood watch has also been issued for large parts of the Top End, with heavy rainfall expected to see local creek and river rises, including renewed rises in areas that have already experienced flooding.<\/p>\n
1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 4:12am<\/p>\n
Maps show rapid pace of Narelle![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
These maps show the rapid pace at which Narelle is expected to travel this afternoon and into tomorrow.<\/p>\n
ABC meteorologist Thomas Saunders<\/b> says gale force winds are expected about six hours prior to the arrival of the eye, and will last about 15 hours. Destructive winds <\/b>are expected to last about six hours.<\/p>\n
Loading…<\/p>\n
As for the rain<\/b>, he says, because Narelle is a fast-moving system, we’re looking at about 12 to 15 hours of torrential falls. That’s not long enough to cause the more severe flooding seen with recent cyclones like Jasper and Alfred.<\/p>\n
Loading…1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 4:02amCyclone Narelle moving quickly![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
Here’s an update on Cyclone Narelle’s movements, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.<\/p>\n
The system is currently 450km east of Cooktown and is moving quickly about 26km\/h.<\/p>\n
![\"Cyclone](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lcimg-5cce9786-11ca-484d-8a89-fb79a69f4ff0.png\")
Cyclone Narelle’s trackmap issued at 1:50pm. (Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)<\/p>\n
The BOM says Cyclone Narelle could potentially start to cross the coast even earlier than initially predicted tomorrow morning, about 7am.<\/p>\n
Flood warnings are current for parts of the Cape York Peninsula and parts of the North Tropical Coast.<\/p>\n
1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 3:58am<\/p>\n
‘Nervous’ residents wait for Narelle without a shelter![\"Emily]()
<\/p>\n
Towns have been evacuated, schools shut, and flights cancelled across the Cape York Peninsula as residents prepare for Cyclone Narelle.<\/p>\n
The 200 residents of Coen<\/b>, 550 kilometres north of Cairns, have been buying food and emergency supplies from the local store.<\/p>\n
Residents in the Northern Cape region have been told to store water as the Coen water treatment plant will be shut down.<\/p>\n
Several schools across the region have closed for Thursday and Friday, and airline Hinterland Aviation has cancelled flights to Coen and Lockhart River on Friday.<\/p>\n
Cook Shire Council Mayor Robyn Holmes<\/b> said community members were being encouraged to stay with relatives or attend the local wellbeing centre, as Coen does not have a cyclone shelter.<\/p>\n
Southern Kaanju, Ayapathu, Umpila and Lama Lama woman and Coen community leader\u00a0Donna Creek\u00a0<\/b>says she’s “nervous” and “worried”.<\/p>\n\n“Everybody is out and about, fuelling up their cars \u2026 fuelling up their generators, stocking up on all their emergency goods.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Coen Regional Aboriginal Corporation\u00a0<\/b>has provided locals with emergency packs that included torches, food and water ahead of the cyclone.<\/p>\n
Though the town is in a cyclone-prone region, Ms Creek says she is worried older homes may not withstand the gusts, which could be the most severe conditions experienced at Coen in many years.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 3:49am<\/p>\n
Cape York patients wait out cyclone in Cooktown![\"Janelle]()
<\/p>\n
Back to Queensland now, and kidney dialysis patients and their carers from the Cape York communities of Wujal Wujal<\/b> and Hope Vale<\/b> are staying in Cooktown to ensure continued access to treatment until Cyclone Narelle<\/b> passes.<\/p>\n
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service chief executive Rex O’Rourke<\/b> said all health facilities in the region had emergency generators and “adequate stocks of fuel” in preparation for the cyclone.<\/p>\n
“We also have emergency communication channels in place using satellite phones if needed,” Mr O’Rourke said in a statement.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lcimg-112ab51c-42db-4228-96d7-eb0b65d4649d.jpeg\")
(Supplied)<\/p>\n
He said all Cape York health facilities had “adequate staffing” for “anticipated needs”.<\/p>\n
“We thank the Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Police Service and State Emergency Service for the additional people and vehicles they have located across the region,” Mr O’Rourke said.<\/p>\n
He said the health service “maintained lists of vulnerable patients”, such as those requiring home oxygen supplies and special medications.<\/p>\n
“These lists have been reviewed and individualised care plans implemented by local teams,” Mr O’Rourke said.<\/p>\n
He said the service had post-cyclone recovery plans in place to move in relieving health workers and repair and maintenance teams quickly throughout the region to affected facilities, as needed.<\/p>\n
1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 3:40am<\/p>\n
VIDEO: ABC reports from blustery Port Douglas as Cyclone Narelle churns off the coast![\"Jacqueline](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lcimg-b890429d-d2ab-43f4-9e59-dfb5f6c832c9.jpeg\")
Loading…<\/p>\n
ABC NEWS reporter Chloe Chomicki is in Port Douglas, where winds are already picking up from Cyclone Narelle despite being south of the warning zone.<\/p>\n
1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 3:37am<\/p>\n
That’s where we’ll leave this press conference![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
To recap, Narelle is expected to reach the Northern Territory once it travels across Queensland.<\/p>\n
Here’s what we’ve heard from the Bureau of Meteorology.<\/p>\n
\n- it’s expected to cross the NT coast on Saturday afternoon as a severe category three system;<\/li>\n
- once it makes landfall, it will rapidly weaken;<\/li>\n
- Katherine and other flood-impacted areas should expect daily rainfall totals of 150mm to 200mm rain;<\/li>\n
- Darwin will also experience rain and wind;<\/li>\n
- the BOM says the system is different to last week’s because it’s moving so quickly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 3:30am<\/p>\n
Longer-term evacuations in NT![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro says some people will need to stay in evacuation centres for longer than they’d initially thought.<\/p>\n
\n“We have water lapping people’s roofs for a substantial period of time … so we need to make sure we’re providing that support and comfort where people can have a home away from home.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
She says it’s too early to say how much the damage bill from all of the weather events in the territory will total. The government has already put $100 million towards a recovery fund<\/b>, she says.<\/p>\n
2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 3:21am<\/p>\n
Police resources bolstered in NT amid concerns with security![\"Lottie]()
<\/p>\n
Northern Territory Police Acting Commissioner Travis Wurst says policing resources are being bolstered in communities that are expected to be impacted.<\/p>\n
He says police are also helping with evacuations and with evacuees.<\/p>\n
“We’re aware there have been some concerns with security and security guards,” he says.<\/p>\n
“[They’re] managing a really difficult environment.”<\/p>\n
He says security guards have to be monitoring people as they arrive and depart evacuation centres because the NT government has the responsibility for their safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"9h agoWed 18 Mar 2026 at 7:58pmStay up to date with the latest emergency warnings You can head…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":666121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[23],"tags":[280508,3534,746,4913,281749,1698,4797,4798,159,67,132,5511,68],"class_list":["post-666120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-cyclone-narelle","tag-emergency","tag-environment","tag-far-north","tag-follow","tag-live-blog","tag-qld","tag-queensland","tag-science","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-updates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116254169497195215","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}