Hurricane Glenda sped along the Australian coast last week, reaching Category 3 status before making landfall Friday, but the storm did not cause significant damage because it hit an unpopulated area.
The storm, forming off the northwestern coast of the continent early last week, built into a powerful and well-defined cyclone, reaching Category 4 strength, assistant professor of geosciences Jamie Dyer said.
“This led to enhanced wave activity along the Pilbara region of Western Australia, as well as strong winds and rain to islands off the Kimberly coast,” he said. “The storm was moving toward the south across Barrow Island before striking the mainland with sustained winds of 115 mph.”
Glenda hit land shortly after midnight Friday, but rapidly dissolved during its travels south, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Some were worried about the effect this storm might have on the people of Australia.
“The people in this area are more rural, country folk, if you will,” communication alumna Claire Walton, who has spent time in Australia, said. “They are farmers, and when a storm like this hits, it devastates their lives and income.”
Meteorologists disagree about the amount of damage the storm will do.
Hurricane category is determined by the relationship between the intensity of the storm and the potential for property damage, Dyer said.
“The intensity is based largely on surface wind speed, with Category 3 hurricanes having winds between 111 to 130 mph,” he said. “The major drawback with this scale is the lack of information regarding precipitation intensity and storm size, which affect how the system will influence lives and property.”
Others, while surprised with the rapid formation of the storm, agree with Dyer.
“The hurricane just blew up overnight and came out of nowhere,” meteorology student Phillip Jackson said.
“The pressure was really low, but winds weren’t as strong as they should have been,” he added.
Although the strength of Glenda was comparable to that of Katrina, Dyer said that the damage felt by area residents will not be as great.
“Katrina was a more organized storm than Glenda and had also reached Category 5 strength previously,” Dyer said.
Jackson agrees.
“There will not be as much damage because it was not a very heavily populated coastline,” he said.
“Only 175 people were evacuated,” Jackson added.
He also said that the areas affected by Katrina were densely populated cities, such as New Orleans and Gulfport.
While the storm may not be as devastating as Katrina, its uniqueness lies in the fact that it hit landfall only ten days after another large storm.
“The previous storm, Hurricane Larry, made landfall as a Category 5 and brought severe flooding to the northern regions of the continent,” Dyer said.
“The quick succession of the hurricanes, although not unheard of, is relatively unique,” she said.
Whatever the outcome, Walton feels that the Australian people will persevere throughout the rebuilding process.
“The people will definitely bounce back easily and go right back to their previous lifestyles as soon as they can,” she said.
“They certainly won’t let this keep them down,” Dyer added.
The country as a whole will pull together and help in any way they can,” she said.