Cyclone Erica

The precursor to Cyclone Erica was an area of low pressure that formed within a monsoon trough north of the Tiwi Islands on 13 February 2003. This low moved into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and then ashore Mainland Australia near the border between Western Australia and Northern Territory on 15 February. It remained over the continent for the latter half of February, taking a track south of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and then towards Queensland. Now taking an eastward trajectory, At 06:00 UTC on 4 March, the system was designated as Tropical Cyclone Erica by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane, Australia (TCWC-Brisbane); it was TCWC-Brisbane's first named system of the 2002–03 Australian region cyclone season. At the time, Erica was located 790 km (490 mi) east-southeast of Townsville, Queensland. With low wind shear and favourable winds aloft, The diameter of Erica's eye shrank and decreased and the eye became symmetrical. Throughout the day, the cyclone paralleled the southwest coast of the principal island of New Caledonia before tracking across the southern end of the island and the Isle of Pines; it made landfall roughly 220 km (140 mph) northwest of Nouméa shortly after 18:00 UTC on 13 March. Prolonged interaction with New Caledonia caused the cyclone's winds to lessen. After clearing New Caledonia, a subtropical ridge to the northeast caused Erica to move into an area of increasing wind shear and accelerate into the mid-latitudes, leading to the storm weakening further and undergoing extratropical transition; this transition was completed by 12:00 UTC on 15 March. The extratropical remnants of Erica passed east of New Zealand on 16–17 March. ==Preparations, impact, and aftermath==

Australia As a tropical low, Erica brought strong winds to northern Queensland. Several large trees were uprooted, one of which fell on a car in Cape Tribulation and another on a house in Port Douglas. Numerous trees were defoliated and some boats were reported to have been pulling their moorings due to the wind. Power lines were also damaged by the low. New Caledonia On 12 March, officials in New Caledonia issued a pre-alert as Erica was forecast to impact the territory. Evacuation centers were set up in churches and community halls. All schools throughout the island were closed and airports were shut down. Despite the rapid weakening before landfall, Erica produced intense winds, gusting to a record in Nouméa. Ten-minute sustained winds were recorded up to around the center of the storm. An estimated 892 families were affected by Erica, and Erica was also reported to have caused two deaths and injured 80 people. In addition 1,000 people were estimated to be homeless. Several communication lines were severed, and tribes and farms were devastated. 20% of electricity customers in Nouméa were without power, and 60% of customers on the main island's west coast were also without power. In Yaté, police assessed that half of the population was without shelter, and in Pohé, it was estimated that 90% of the crops were destroyed by Erica. On 17 March 2003, only 17 of the 66 secondary schools in New Caledonia were functioning, with others still closed primarily due to safety concerns. The University of New Caledonia was also badly damaged. However, all primary schools were functioning. After the storm, 60 French specialists were sent to New Caledonia to help in rebuilding areas hit hard by Erica. Ministry of Overseas France head Brigitte Giradin arrived in Nouméa on 17 March to investigate the damage. Following the visit, Brigitte Giradin announced that US$17 million would be sent to rebuild 1,000 homes on the island nation, including an additional US$500,000 in disaster relief to the island country. A transport aircraft stationed in Tahiti brought of emergency supplies. High winds and strong rains resulted in damages of at least US$15 million, particularly to schools. Two fatalities total were reported as a result of Erica. The name Erica was retired after the season. ==See also==