Cyclone Narelle Sparks Travel Woes for West Aussie Property Owner
One West Australian resident has been left in a frantic scramble to reach Exmouth and evaluate the destruction caused by cyclone Narelle, shelling out thousands of dollars for a last-minute flight. Amanda Sanders, from Bencubbin, had originally planned to visit her holiday home in Exmouth earlier this week but cancelled due to fears as the cyclone tracked toward the North West region.
Watching in Horror as Storm Hits
Ms Sanders recounted nervously monitoring her home security camera footage as fierce winds and heavy rain battered her property until the early hours of Friday morning, when the power ultimately failed. "Once the power went out, we didn’t know what was going on," she explained. "We waited until about lunchtime today so that our friends could go and assess the house, and we need to go out there for cleanup—we can’t expect anyone to do that for us."
She reported significant water damage inside the house, with wet patches visible on the ceiling, necessitating an urgent trip to address the issues. The situation turned more stressful when she checked flight prices. Earlier in the week, a flight from Perth to Exmouth was priced at $359, but by Saturday, the cost had skyrocketed to $1200 for a one-way trip scheduled at 12.35pm.
Sky-High Costs and Limited Options
"Normally they have early morning flights, so they’re obviously just putting that one flight on at lunchtime because it will be safe by then," Ms Sanders noted. "And $1200—there’s nothing you can do about it; it’s just what you have to do. There’s literally no other way to do this." Driving was not a viable alternative, as she anticipated flooded roads and closures, making air travel the only feasible option despite the exorbitant expense.
Ms Sanders has owned the holiday home since 2016 and rents it out through Exmouth Holidays, a service that prepares properties for cyclones by packing them down. She expressed immense gratitude for their efforts, highlighting the challenges they face. "They’ve done a great job. They had 100 houses to pack down, so you can imagine their job when the cyclone’s coming. It’s a lot," she said. "We normally go up there... I feel for the real estate agent running around... if they don’t get to your house in time, then you’re stuffed."
Resilience Amidst the Chaos
Despite the stress and financial strain, Ms Sanders remains undeterred from owning property in Exmouth, reassured by the cyclone-rated construction standards in the area. "No, it doesn’t put me off; it’s beautiful up there," she affirmed. "The houses up there, you pay to get cyclone-built these days. They cost three times more because they’re cyclone-rated, that’s why there is minimal damage. If that cyclone hit a town that wasn’t cyclone-rated, it would be demolished."
Qantas has been contacted for comment regarding the surge in flight prices. This incident underscores the broader challenges faced by property owners in disaster-prone regions, blending personal resilience with systemic issues in post-storm recovery efforts.
