CANBERRA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Northern Territory (NT) has been warned to brace for hurricanes on the second day of the region's Wet Season.
The NT's Wet Season began on Thursday, the first day of November, and will run through April 2019.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Friday that it was expecting at least three cyclones in the NT during the season.
Todd Smith, manager of the BOM in the NT, warned Territorians not to leave their cyclone preparations until it was too late.
"Tropical cyclones bring damaging winds and storm surges, with heavy rainfall and flooding, but we also see widespread impacts including flooding and strong winds from tropical low systems and severe thunderstorms right across the NT," Smith told News Corp Australia.
Tropical Cyclone Marcus made landfall in the Northern Territory (NT) in March, bringing with it winds exceeding 230 km per hour and causing damage that cost 75 million U.S. dollars to repair.
The category five storm was the worst to hit Darwin, capital of the NT, since 1974's Cyclone Tracy, which killed 71 people, destroyed more than 70 percent of the city's buildings and caused approximately 4.6 billion U.S. dollars in damage.
NT Emergency Services Director Jason Collins joined Smith in urging residents to be prepared.
"The bureau and NT Emergency Services are ready for whatever the coming season can throw at us -- it's a core part of our business. Now is the time for Territorians to make sure they're ready too," he said.
"While we have a highly capable emergency service, there is also a responsibility upon individuals to make their own preparations well in advance of any significant weather events."
