'Everyone is on edge': In Cyclone Ilsa, Australia braces for strongest tropical cyclone of decade

Authorities issued warnings along the northwestern coast of Australia as a severe tropical cyclone lashed with increasing rains and strong winds of up to 275 kilometer per hour (170 miles per hour).

The severe cyclone warning has been specifically issued for Pilbara coast. It is sparsely populated. In past, the cyclones are not uncommon in these areas. However, Cyclone Ilsa's high wind speeds are expected to leave a trail of destruction.

Isla is a Category 4 cyclone

Cyclone Ilsa reached Category 4 intensity on Thursday over the Indian Ocean. It is expected to be the first storm of Category 4 scale to cross Western Australia's Pilbara coast in a decade, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

Category 4 cyclones have maximum mean wind speeds of 160-199 kph (99-124 mph) with wind gusts of 225-279 kph (140-173 mph). They are the second-most severe storm on the Australian scale of five.

Cyclone Ilsa in Australia: How strong is it?

According to the Australian weather department, Cyclone Ilsa is expected to cross the coast somewhere in a 450-km (280-mile) span between the Port Hedland and Bidyadanga towns.

Those close to where Ilsa reaches land would experience gusts of up to 275 kph (170 mph), the bureau said.

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On Thursday, police closed the highway along the Pilbara coast between Port Hedland and the tourist town of Broome, 610 km (380 miles) to the northeast, to prevent motorists from risking the worsening conditions. Authorities expect the North West Coastal Highway will be impassable due to flooding before Ilsa passes.

Port Hedland and Broome are the largest population centers in the Pilbara region with 16,000 and 15,000 people.

Bidyadanga, home to around 700 people, had by Thursday stocked enough food and fuel to last a week in case the community is isolated by floodwater. Bidyadanga CEO Tania Baxter said maintaining the community’s electricity would be critical to how they weathered the storm.

"Without power, we haven’t got water and possibly even communications," Baxter toldABC News. "So if we can maintain power supply, then we’ll be fine. We’ll manage everything else that comes with it and any damage that comes."

Many in the cyclone’s path have evacuated in recent days by the Australian authorities. In Port Hedland, from which the world’s largest bulk export port sends Australian iron ore worldwide, evacuation centers had opened to people whose homes might not withstand the storm, said mayor Peter Carter.

"Everyone is on edge," Carter said. "They understand that cyclones are what they are. They’re very, very unpredictable."

(With inputs from agencies)

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