Cyclone Tessi

Impact

While moving inland, Tessi produced strong winds and very heavy rainfall. Wind damage was widespread but generally of a minor nature, extending from Ingham to Ayr along the coast of Queensland. New daily and monthly total rainfall records were set in Townsville, where 423.4 mm (16.67 in) of rainfall was recorded in a 24-hour period. The city also experienced wind gusts as high as 130 km/h (81 mph), peaking at 15:40 UTC on 2 April, while situated within the storm's left-front quadrant. In and around Townsville, the powerful gusts brought down thousands of trees, some of which struck and damaged buildings and caravans. Multiple roofs sustained damage, and fallen power lines left 50,000 households without electricity. By two days after the storm, only about half of the outages had been restored. Many roads were damaged or obstructed by debris, leaving the city isolated for a time. After Tessi weakened below the tropical cyclone threshold, its remnants continued to produce heavy rainfall. One station in the Haughton River watershed recorded more than 200 mm (7.9 in) in 12 hours on 3 April, including a maximum hourly rainfall rate of 44 mm (1.7 in). The Haughton River swelled to record levels until the small town of Giru was completely submerged with floodwaters averaging 0.7 m (2.3 ft) deep.

To the north of Townsville, severe wind damage was reported in the small community of Mutarnee, where the cyclone uprooted numerous large trees and blew the roof of a house 60 m (200 ft) away. The most intense winds were likely confined to the sparsely populated shoreline east of Mutarnee; there, tree damage was significant, and a few beach huts were damaged. Along the coast, rough seas washed ashore and wrecked several boats. The Port of Townsville sustained $1.1 million in damage, which included the destruction of breakwaters. Coastal installations along the Strand were also damaged by the rough seas, while the onshore winds blasted tree trunks with sand from the beaches and left up to 10 cm (3.9 in) of accumulated sand in car parks. Along the coast of Rowes Bay, high waves steepened an existing erosion cliff by as much as 4 m (13 ft), although much of the removed sand was simply deposited closer to the water. Despite 2,700 m³ (95,000 ft³) of sand being displaced from the base of the scarp, the changes to the beach were considered to be within acceptable parameters of the ongoing beach nourishment project. Tessi also had a serious impact on seagrass meadows, such as those in Cockle Bay. Just offshore, Magnetic Island endured 10-minute sustained winds of 109 km/h (68 mph) in what was described as its worst storm in 30 years. Streets on the island were littered with debris, and residents were left with limited supplies of drinking water.

The torrential rainfall caused extensive flash flooding and triggered a large landslide in a residential neighbourhood in Castle Hill, a suburb of Townsville. The landslide comprised four distinct debris flows, totalling about 2,000 m³ (71,000 ft³) of weathered granite plunging downhill. Two homes were destroyed while many others were invaded by large volumes of mud and debris. A mansion belonging to the owner of the Townsville Crocodiles was among the most severely impacted properties, being almost entirely buried under the landslide. Around 400 residents of the community were forced to evacuate nearly 140 homes, and 10 individuals were hospitalised with acute stress. With fears of additional rainfall from Cyclone Vaughan, dozens of engineers rushed to secure a large 6 m (20 ft), 150-tonne boulder that the landslide dislodged and left resting precariously on the hillside above several homes. After workers spent more than 24 hours reinforcing the boulder and removing other loose debris from the hillside, the immediate threat was alleviated. However, concerns about the stability of the slope and disputes over the funding necessary for ongoing maintenance still lingered as of 2012. As the landslide occurred in an affluent neighbourhood, some residents feared the incident would lower their property values. In addition to the Castle Hill landslide, Tessi's rainfall induced smaller rock falls and debris flows throughout susceptible areas of Townsville.

Aftermath

During and after the storm, the State Emergency Service responded to 530 calls for assistance. While attempting to repair a damaged power line, two Queensland Rail workers received electrical shocks, with one of them being severely injured. As emergency workers were preoccupied with the aftermath of Tessi, burglars looted 80 homes and businesses, as well as flooded vehicles and damaged yachts, in Townsville. In the aftermath of the cyclone, some 400 Townsville City Council workers embarked on clean-up efforts. Vegetation debris in Townsville was collected and processed into 25,000 m³ (880,000 ft³) of mulch, which was used in local botanical gardens like The Palmetum. By 6 April, local insurers had received 3,000 claims for property damage. Townsville mayor Tony Mooney initially estimated damage to private property from Tessi at $100 million, and judged the destruction more severe than that of the 1998 Townsville floods. Later, a post-storm assessment placed the damage total closer to $50 million. After the season ended, the name Tessi was retired from the Australian tropical cyclone naming list due to the cyclone's "negative impact."