Tropical cyclone Ilsa: Acting Emergency Services minister Sue Ellery says mines, communities still in danger

Thanks for tuning in. We hope recovery goes smoothly for all those affected by tropical cyclone Ilsa.

Read our full wrap up below.

The two men who hunkered down at Pardoo Roadhouse during cyclone Ilsa say they were forced to run for their lives as the storm hit.

The Roadhouse owners don’t think insurance will cover the four million dollar damage bill... But at least they have their lives.

The two business owners regret their decision to stay.

Desperate to stay alive last night, Varinder Batth and his business partner Will Vatth forced their way into a shipping container with a rock.

At the same time they had to battle rocks flying around in the gale force winds.

The owners of family-run Pardoo Roadhouse have shared a GoFundMe after their business was destroyed by Cyclone Ilsa.

They wrote: “Pardoo Roadhouse is a family run business, and we are a very close-knit team. This is not just where we work, this is our home and a community for nearby Pardoo Station, FIFO workers, truckies, travellers and a safe haven for those in need.

“We face a massive clean-up and plan to rebuild.

“We estimate at this stage there is approx $4 million worth of damage. We are insured but we are in a remote area and we estimate the rebuild will cost a lot more than that.”

Messages of support have been sent to the family from not just Australia but overseas.

Port Hedland has dodged what are believed to be the strongest winds ever recorded in Australia, but it’s still “a live event” for miners and remote communities in severe tropical cyclone Ilsa’s path who have been urged to remain vigilant.

Ilsa crossed the coast as a category five around midnight, packing wind gusts well in excess of 250km/h as it barrelled towards Pardoo Roadhouse and nearby cattle stations.

Acting emergency services minister Sue Ellery said it was the first category five system to make landfall in WA since 2009, bringing very destructive winds and heavy rain to an area between De Grey and Pardoo Roadhouse.

The landmark “copped the full impact”.

Repairs to the roadhouse would be covered by insurance, not disaster relief funds, but the State Government would do what it could to assist that process, she added.

While the streets of Port Hedland and South Hedland are a bit soggy today are escaping the main wrath of cyclone Ilsa overnight, locals have been warned not to take their survival for granted.

Port Hedland Visitor’s Centre manager Julie Arif, who has lived in the town for over 60 years, said newer residents should not be complacent with future cyclones after dodging the worst of the category five system.

“Definately for new residents (my advice is) not to be complacent that...that was nothing,” she said.

“Cyclones can be frightening and devestating and we were very fortunate this time.

“Coming into next cyclone season, do the right thing and make sure you don’t take this as what cyclones are because they can be very bad.”

Premier Mark McGowan has expressed his relief that the Pilbara’s major population centres were sparre the brunt of cyclone Ilsa, and thanked volunteers who worked “around the clock” to prepare for the impact.

DFES commissioner Darren Klemm said the effects on Newcrest’s Telfer gold mine would be known in the next three to four hours.

He said the Great Northern Highway could be reopened in a few days, with Main Roads flagging 48 hours.

“Our major concern was that it would ... go off to the left and just continue on into Port Hedland,” he said.

The commissioner said he was “quite concerned” overnight that the cyclone would track towards Port Hedland.

“It’s a major centre, a very important centre for the State,” Mr Klemm said.

“It pretty well went straight over the top of Pardoo Roadhouse and tavern and that’s why you’re seeing extensive damage in that particular location.

“It was cold comfort for the owners, but fortunately there had not been a large number of other structures in Ilsa’s path.”

DFES commissioner Darren Klemm said Port Hedland was no longer on red alert but it still stretch between Wallal Downs and De Grey “and then out to the east.”

Overnight, 180 people had been evacuated by air from Telfer.

“Today we’re making contact with remote communities, mine sites and pastoral stations that have been in the path of the cyclone and check on their welfare,” Mr Klemm said.

Bureau of Meteorology’s Todd Smith said TC Ilsa crossed the coast as a category five packing winds gusts well in excess of 250km/h.

“Yesterday afternoon when it tracked over Bedout Island, our automatic weather station recorded a wind gust at 289 kilometers an hour,” he said.

“We’re going to do some checks on the data there, but it’s likely that that will go down as the strongest wind gust ever recorded by the Bureau’s equipment in Australia.”

Mr Smith said the system just passed directly over Telfer and was tracking “quite rapidly”.

“Please remain vigilant. We are expecting damaging to destructive winds today and into this evening as the system continues to track towards the east.”