Gabrielle is expected to pass over or close to Norfolk Island late this afternoon or evening, with gusts of up to 155kph forecast. Photo: AFP
Norfolk Island residents are in for a drenching today as Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle brings intense rainfall and potentially destructive gale force winds to the region.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Felim Hanniffy said the fast-moving system is is travelling south-east and away from Queensland, but will approach Norfolk Island today.
Gabrielle is expected to pass over or close to the island late this afternoon or evening, with gusts of up to 155kph forecast.
The storm has been downgraded to a category two system but is still set to bring destructive winds, heavy rain and abnormally high tides.
Norfolk Island's Emergency Controller George Plant said gale force winds and heavy rain were already impacting the island on Saturday morning.
"We're preparing to go into a red alert later today," he said.
"Some powerlines are down, there are power outages around the place.
"We're happy that it's been downgraded to a category two again, but still, with 155km an hour winds, we're expecting some sort of damage."
Mr Plant said most local businesses were closing in preparation for a looming red alert, which would be determined by what time forecasters think the storm will be most severe over the island.
"Once that's declared, we will not want people on the road or moving around," he said.
The bureau has recommended residents and visitors on the island "complete preparations quickly and be prepared to shelter in a safe place".
Norfolk Island resident Kate Lemerle said winds rapidly intensified early Saturday.
"The island has never had a cyclone of this magnitude and none of our houses have built to cyclone standards," she said.
"So it is unknown whether the roof will blow off or whether I will come out the other side completely intact.
"The wind has been increasing quite significantly, it sort of dies down and then there is a huge gust of wind but it is generally picking up."
It's rare for cyclones to come within 50km of Norfolk Island, especially systems graded as category two or above.
The Bureau of Meteorology said over the last 30 to 40 years, only three cyclones have come within 50 kilometres of the island.
The cyclone is expected to pass close to the island late on Saturday or early Sunday before it weakens and moves towards New Zealand's North Island.
Norfolk Island lawn bowls club manager Tim Sheridan, 63, has lived on the former penal colony for most of his life.
He said that in his experience, cyclones usually "peter out" to a tropical low by the time they reached the island.
"We've had some strong winds which knock over trees and lift a couple of roofs occasionally, but nothing of a serious nature," he said.
A storm in March 1790 wrecked the HMS Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet, just off Norfolk Island.
The last cyclone to impact the island was a year ago when the eye of Cyclone Dovi passed about 200km to the island's west.
Mr Sheridan said that cyclone "brought some very strong winds and knocked over a few pine trees".
He said residents were securing their homes in preparation for Gabrielle.
"I went through the shops yesterday looking for a few torches for the club, a few lanterns, and of course, they're all sold out in the shops," Mr Sheridan said.
"People are getting prepared for it."
Bureau meteorologist Jonathan How said Norfolk Island usually experienced tropical lows or cyclones every second summer or so.
"Since record keeping begin in the 1960s, there's really only been another three tropical cyclones which have passed pretty much directly over the island," Mr How said.
"The last time we saw that was Tropical Cyclone Donna back in 2017 and before that, Tropical Cyclone Zelia in 2011.
"Neither really caused too much damage."
But Mr How said if Cyclone Gabrielle hit the island directly, the result could be "quite dangerous".
"It is looking like 24 to 36 hours of gale force winds at Norfolk Island," he said.
"It is quite a large system."
Norfolk is 1500 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, and is administered by the Commonwealth although the Queensland government provides health and education services.
It has a population of about 2,200 with about 500 visitors currently on the island.
Although dozens of cyclones have passed within 500km of it, the island does not have a cyclone shelter.
The island only has a small, 12-bed hospital facility, but a spokesperson for the Norfolk Health and Residential Aged Care Service (NIHRACS) said services are being delivered as normal.
"NIHRACS is working closely with Emergency Management Norfolk Island (EMNI) in its preparedness plan for Cyclone Gabrielle this weekend," the spokesperson said.
"EMNI is leading the on-island response.
"The plan takes into account staffing, logistics and communication to ensure essential health services are provided to the community of Norfolk Island."
Queensland Health also has staff and equipment on hand to help if required.
"Norfolk Island has an incredibly resilient population, has activated their cyclone arrangements and is well-prepared," a Queensland Health spokesperson said.
"In the event that help is needed, Norfolk Island will request assistance through the Commonwealth government, which has agencies already involved as part of normal disaster management arrangements.
"Queensland Health, including Metro North Health, are also standing by and ready to assist."
- ABC