North West towns move to blue alert as tropical cyclone Ilsa forms off Kimberley coast

Residents of WA’s North West are being warned to prepare for a potentially destructive, once-in-a-decade cyclone as two major population centres moved into a blue alert on Tuesday.

Tropical cyclone Ilsa, currently sitting about 400km north of Broome, developed into a category one system about 2pm on Tuesday, and is expected to intensify into a category four tropical cyclone before crossing the North West coast on Thursday night.

A blue alert is currently in place between Beagle Bay on the Dampier Peninsula and Whim Creek in the Pilbara, including Broome and Port Hedland, with residents within the zone being urged to immediately prepare for destructive winds and rain.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said residents needed to take the weather warning extremely seriously as the cyclone may reach category four.

Mr Klemm on Tuesday said the agency was ensuring adequate resources “both human and physical” were on standby in the region.

“In addition to the 26 personnel that left Perth yesterday, a task force comprising six additional State Emergency Services vehicles and drivers will arrive in Port Hedland tomorrow,” he said.

“Another 10 SES volunteers will arrive in Port Hedland tomorrow as well to support that task force. Additional essential supplies have been delivered to the Bidyadanga community today and they now have fresh supplies in terms of foodstuffs for the next seven days as well as fuel for the generator to keep the goods chilled.”

Mr Klemm added additional aircraft had also been sent into Karratha — two helicopters retrofitted with the capability to undertake medical evacuations if required, which will be manned with a St John WA paramedic.

He said remote Aboriginal communities in the region were being contacted to make sure they were informed of the situation.

It comes as the Pilbara Ports Authority confirmed it would start clearing Port Hedland’s inner harbour from 2am on Wednesday, on high tide.

For the current Bureau of Meteorology Watch and Warnings visit www.bom.gov.au/cyclone.