Cyclone Seroja

On 29 March, the BoM began to mention that Tropical Low 22U was developing to the south of Timor. By 3 April, the tropical low fully developed as it was within an active trough. The low was located in a generally favorable environment with deep moisture, low vertical wind shear, and defined outflow. The low drifted close to the coast of Timor very slowly with persistent spiraling bands of convection occupying the storm's circulation, producing prolific rainfall in the surrounding regions on 3–4 April. At this time, the low pressure system was located inside the Area of Responsibility (AoR) of TCWC Jakarta. By the early morning of 4 April, the presentation of its structure had improved with spiral bands of deep convection and tight curvature at its center. The tropical low slowly gained strength, intensifying to a Category 1 tropical cyclone, and was given the name Seroja by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) Jakarta at 20:00 UTC on 4 April, about north-northwest of Rote Island. (left) and Tropical Cyclone Seroja (right) engaging in Fujiwhara interaction while intensifying between 7–9 April. During 5 April, Seroja continued to move at in a west-southwest direction, away from the Indonesian coastline. The storm intensified to a Category 2 tropical cyclone at 19:00 UTC, with 10-minute sustained winds of and its central pressure deepening to . Long term uncertainty in both track and intensity persisted in the forecasting of Seroja's track, due to interaction with Tropical Low 23U, to the far west of the storm. Seroja fluctuated in strength for several hours, intensifying slightly on 7 April, as it continued in a generally southwesterly direction. Seroja became disorganized on satellite imagery as convection became dislocated to the south on 8 April, while it began to closely interact with Tropical Cyclone Odette (formerly Tropical Low 23U) just to the northwest, as a result of the Fujiwhara effect, complicating the forecasts for the tropical cyclone and causing it to weaken again. Seroja resumed intensification by the next day, re-intensifying into a Category 2 tropical cyclone at 13:16 UTC on 9 April, as the storm began to absorb Odette and as wind shear started to ease off. By 10 April, Seroja had absorbed most of Odette's remaining thunderstorms and began to accelerate to the southeast towards Western Australia, maintaining a relatively organized structure. Later that day, Seroja fully absorbed Odette into its circulation. Seroja continued to steadily intensify as it approached the Gascoyne Region; the JTWC upgraded Seroja to a Category 1–equivalent tropical cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale, with sustained winds of , at 18:00 UTC on 10 April. By early on 11 April, Seroja had intensified into a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, the third severe tropical cyclone of the season, as a ragged eye began to emerge from the cyclone's central dense overcast. Seroja continued rapidly accelerating to the southeast at , with its eye becoming more defined on infrared and Doppler weather radar images before making landfall near Gregory, Western Australia, or just north of Geraldton at peak strength with 1-minute sustained winds of , 10-minute sustained winds of , and a minimum central pressure of 971 hPa (28.76 inHg), with observations of gusts as high as . Following landfall, Seroja quickly moved to the southeast over Australia, while gradually weakening. Early on 12 April, Seroja's extratropical remnant entered the Great Australian Bight, while beginning to transition into an extratropical cyclone, before being absorbed into a larger extratropical cyclone to the south later that day. == Preparations ==

Indonesia The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency declared two days before the cyclone's formation that they were already anticipating the possibility of tropical cyclone development over the Savu Sea. On 4 April 2021, the agency issued an early warning. On 8 April 2021, the agency again issued warnings to other provinces such as Bali, East Java, Central Java, and West Nusa Tenggara. Australia The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned on 5 April 2021 that Seroja could approach the West Pilbara or Gascoyne coastline. It was also advised that tourists be ready to change plans, in case the cyclone impacts the area and brings unsafe conditions to go home. Due to the cyclone's uncertain track from its Fujiwhara interaction with Tropical Cyclone Odette, the chance of impacts on Western Australia was uncertain as to where it would go; out to sea or into land. As the storm approached Australia, the price of Australian commodities such as coals and iron ores were expected to rise. In addition, there was concern that it would disrupt or delay shipments and trades from the region. The BOM also issued a tropical cyclone watch early on 9 April for much of the region between Coral Bay and Lancelin. Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Acting Commissioner Craig Waters advised all people in the watch area to 'leave immediately' as many of the homes in the area would be under significant risk with pre-saturated soil allowing flooding to likely occur much more easily. BOM also mentioned that this region was not accustomed to tropical cyclone impacts, making the risk of Seroja's impacts more dangerous than usual with a month's worth of rain expected to fall within a day. A tropical cyclone warning was then issued for Cape Cuvier to Geraldton on 10 April as Seroja neared, albeit strengthening slower than anticipated. All people between Coral Bay and Geraldton were eventually told to evacuate immediately on 11 April as homes were not built to withstand such high winds. Premier Mark McGowan said that Seroja was "like nothing we have seen before in decades". There was a Red Alert placed along an 800 kilometer stretch of coastline south of Carnarvon and Lancelin. The people under the alert were required to stay in their houses or in an evacuation center. The latter structures were open in Port Denison, Carnarvon and Denham. The cyclone was expected to impact the area until midnight. High tides, intense rainfall, flash flooding, dangerous surf and beach erosion were among the warned dangers of Seroja. == Impact ==

Timor-Leste In Timor-Leste, a landslide and floods displaced more than 8,000 people and was initially claimed to have led to the deaths of 42 people in total. The floods also seemed to have damaged the country's central pharmacy, where vaccine stocks for East Timor population were stored. Other damaged facilities include two COVID-19 isolation facilities. It is thought that many more people in Timor-Leste have died due to the storm's widespread flooding. Damage from Seroja in Timor-Leste was expected to exceed US$100 million, according to Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak. According to a report published in January 2022 by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the flooding in Timor-Leste affected 13 municipalities and 30,322 households, destroyed 4,212 houses, took 34 lives, and was "... said to be the worst the country has seen in 50 years ...". The Timor-Leste country coordinator for the Australian Humanitarian Partnership consortium said that it was "anything but typical". The banks of two rivers in Ende district burst, killing two people and resulting in extensive flooding in East Flores. A local chief of a village in East Flores reported that hundreds of hectares of crops were destroyed. Dozens of farm animals were also reportedly swept away by flash floods. A majority of the casualties in East Flores were from the Nelelamadike village in Adonara Island after a massive rockslide struck the village. The village reported 55 deaths, of whom 15 were children. More than 600 residents of the village were left homeless by the cyclone. In the city of Kupang, 734 houses were damaged, affecting 2,190 people, while in Rote Ndao, around 30 houses were flooded. A bridge connecting the cities of Kupang and Malaka Regency was destroyed, making travel between the two regions extremely difficult. A passenger ship, the Jatra I, sunk on a port in Kupang city, after experiencing a leak. No casualties were reported from the sinking. Another ship, the Namparnos, went adrift and grounded on Kambing Island. In East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara, approximately 11,406 people were displaced, while 66,036 homes were damaged. which heavily impacted by floods and landslide. Five cities and regencies experienced power outages, but electricity was partially restored later. At least 98 base transceiver stations in East Nusa Tenggara province were damaged, although some were restored later by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. Four fuel trucks owned by Pertamina were damaged. A dam in East Sumba overflowed, causing a flood in a neighboring city. The cyclone affected areas as far as the city of Bima in West Nusa Tenggara, where it caused floods, submerging 10,000 homes and affecting more than 27,000 people. A garden which had belonged to several residents of Sikumana Village in Kupang was severely flooded and turned into a two-hectare wide karst lake, after the composition of limestone and karst rock was eroded. The karst lake was given the name "Tuaknatun Lake" by local residents due to the presence of teak trees nearby. There were fears of a looming food crisis across East Nusa Tenggara as there were multiple reports of extensive damage on crops and stored food from harvests. Hundreds of livestock were reported as dead due to the flooding. Residents reported that more than 10,000 hectares of crops had been destroyed by the flood. In Malaka Regency, more than 4,000 hectares of crops were destroyed. This was worsened by the collapse of a spillway in the nearby Benanain Dam in the regency, which also serves as the main source of water for locals. The regency was one of the main food producer in East Nusa Tenggara. The extensive damage on crops and livestock in the regency may further worsen the crisis in the region. As of 14 April, the death toll in the country had risen to 183. In total, as much as 29 regencies and city across East Nusa Tenggara were affected by the cyclone. More than 70,000 structures across the region were damaged or destroyed and nearly half a million people were affected. Farmers in the seaweed industry in Kupang Regency lost an estimated 7 billion rupiah (US$484,000) due to crop failure and destruction of cultivation facilities/infrastructure attributed to Seroja. Total preliminary estimated losses in East Nusa Tenggara, according to the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, amounted to at least 3.4 trillion rupiah (US$236 million) as of May 2021. Australia on 11 April After Seroja made landfall, around 4,350 people in Western Australia lost electricity as the storm's high winds downed power lines, particularly around Kalbarri. A wind gust of , which was likely being one of the strongest wind gusts recorded in the city in more than 50 years. Rain up to was also reported in the town. This number of power outages soon increased to over 25,000 within hours of landfall as Seroja accelerated further inland. Shortly after, unconfirmed reports claimed that buildings had already had their roofs torn off and even entire homes and sheds were completely destroyed. Carnarvon's One Mile Jetty collapsed and floated out to sea. Some residents were required to barricade themselves within bathrooms or cupboards as their homes were damaged. In the daytime, Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) reported that around 70% of structures in Kalbarri were damaged, while around 40% of those properties had been completely destroyed. The department also received around 175 calls by the morning of 12 April. News reporters reported that some houses had been completely flattened by the cyclone. Widespread damage was also reported in Northampton. Shire of Northampton President Craig Simkins described the damage as if a "bomb had gone off", with many structures having lost their roofs or being severely damaged, leaving Simkins perplexed as to whether there should be a new building code to accommodate future cyclones in the region. Recovery was estimated to take several months or even years in the small town. Access and communication to towns further north impacted by the cyclone, such as Geraldton, were cut off, leaving the scale of damage in the city largely unknown. The cyclone was later declared as an 'insurance catastrophe', according to the Insurance Council of Australia. A fundraiser by Lord Mayor's Distress Fund in Western Australia raised AUD$2.75 million (US$2.12 million) in a little over a day to help families impacted by the cyclone. Australian footballer Jamie Cripps reportedly lost his family home which was destroyed in Northampton due to Seroja. DFES commissioner Darren Klemm said on 15 April that damage from Seroja could cost up to AUD$200 million (US$155 million) to repair. A total of 875 buildings were damaged by the cyclone, while at least 32 buildings were destroyed. Around 5,840 homes remained without power over a week after the cyclone, according to Western Power. == Aftermath ==

Timor-Leste Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak cited the floods as one of the most devastating incidents to affect the country in 40 years. The leader of Fretilin, Mari Alkatiri, urged Timor-Leste government to ask for more international assistance such as helicopter and military cargo. Police in Kefamenanu assisted by the army evacuated most of the town residents amid flooding in the region. Evacuation processes in the East Flores Regency was hampered by the lack of heavy equipment, limited access to the sea, and a lack of effective shelter in the area. The Indonesian electricity company PLN was only able to repair 82% of damaged power infrastructure in residential areas, while the rest was difficult to repair because of the extreme weather and floods. The City of Kupang declared a state of emergency, but they lacked emergency response funds and had limited personnel to provide a response. Indonesian President Joko Widodo at a press conference on 5 April 2021, offered his condolences "in the name of all Indonesian people". He also urged all government institutions to mitigate the damage caused by the cyclone. In addition, the NasDem Party set up public kitchens for the victims. The chief of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), Doni Monardo planned to visit the affected regions on 5 April 2021. After the visit, he concluded that health infrastructures and facilities in most of East Nusa Tenggara are adequate, but lacked health workers and doctors. Later, the president also held a brief meeting to address the disaster. In addition to rubber boats, shelters, and personnel, the Indonesian government sent food, blankets, masks, and COVID-19 rapid tests. Pertamina responded by replacing 4 damaged fuel trucks, which would be used to help distribute fuel to victims in the region. As of 5 April 11:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB), a logistical route for fuel to Adonara Island has been restored. El Tari International Airport has resumed its operations on 5 April 10:00 WIB after being closed since the night before. Indonesia's navy readied hospital ships to help treat injured survivors. Helicopters also dropped food and other essentials into remote villages, while sniffer dogs were deployed to search for the dozens missing from the cyclone. Distribution of aid was limited by the severe weather and damaged infrastructure. As the result, the government sent four helicopters and one cargo airplane to assist distribution. The People's Representative Council urged the government to speed up the distribution of relief and suggested using Indonesian army personnel to help overcome logistical hurdles. The Ministry of Social Affairs sent aid to flood victims in the city of Bima. Kodam IX/Udayana personnel constructed eight shelter center, 20 field kitchens, and six field hospitals. Hadi Tjahjanto, the Commander of Armed Forces, sent a navy ship known as KRI Oswald Siahaan (354), a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a helicopter, and several battalions of military engineers from Kodam IX/Udayana and Kodam XIV/Hasanuddin to assist evacuation and reconstruction of infrastructures. The central government of Indonesia prepared additional state funds to assist victims and the reconstruction of cities and villages in the province. Indonesians organized a donation campaign for victims, especially for East Nusa Tenggara, and gathered almost 1,000,000,000 rupiahs or around $70,000 as of 6 April. Ministry of Social Affairs gave compensation of around $1,000 each for deceased victims and $300 each to injured victims, in addition of other aids totaling around $760,000. Each family of a victim also received 500,000 rupiahs or $35 per month for them to pay rent on family's houses or local homestay, as to minimize amount of shelter camps amid COVID-19 until their house was reconstructed by the government. In addition, there's also compensation for each damaged houses; around $3,500 for heavily damaged, $1,500 for moderately damaged, and around $700 for lightly damaged. Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa also send additional assistance and aid to affected region. COVID-19 Task Force personnel were sent to the affected regions and shelters to limit the spread of COVID-19, using experience from 2021 South Kalimantan floods and 2021 West Sulawesi earthquake. The regional police of the province inspected all of the building material stores in the region to prevent sellers putting high prices for reconstruction. As of 6 April, more than 8,400 residents across the province had been evacuated. The majority of those who evacuated (at least 7,000 people) were residents in East Sumba Regency. The BNPB stated that at least 12 administrative regions in East Nusa Tenggara had been affected by the cyclone, of which 8 were severely affected. Chinese President Xi Jinping offered his condolences on the disaster. On Friday, president Joko Widodo paid a visit to Adonara Island and Lembata Regency. Multiple local governments sent aids to affected areas. The government of West Sumatra sent 1.5 tons of rendang, a signature dish from the province, to East Nusa Tenggara. Additional funds of Rp 750 million were sent through BNPB, adding that funds will be allocated for the relief efforts in the region. Funds were also received from West Java, with a total of Rp 1 billion. The West Java regional government later stated: "The Governor of West Java and his administration would like to express our deepest condolences to the people of East Nusa Tenggara." The government of Central Java sent logistical aids worth at least Rp 306 million rupiah and donated Rp 457 million rupiah to East Nusa Tenggara. The European Union provided €200,000 (over 3.4 billion Indonesian rupiah) to Indonesia. Vincent Piket, the EU ambassador to Indonesia, stated: "With this assistance, the EU is expressing its solidarity with Indonesia for the many people afflicted by Cyclone Seroja. The EU stands ready to support those in need in times of crisis." Currently, regions affected in Indonesia already moved into rehabilitation and reconstruction process as more missing victims were found and the cyclone is moving away. After receiving orders from President Joko Widodo to relocate the survivors, Governor of East Nusa Tenggara Viktor Laiskodat urged local leaders to immediately choose the suitable locations for the relocation efforts. Reconstruction on the damaged buildings will be compensated by the government through the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Despite calls from several prominent public figures in the province to declare Cyclone Seroja as a national disaster, Controversy The lack of warnings by the government prior to the cyclone and no direct response by the local government was criticized by Indonesian netizens and NGOs, such as WALHI, for worsening the effects of the cyclone. The hashtag #PrayforNTT became viral in Indonesia on Twitter. WALHI pressured the provincial government of the province of East Nusa Tenggara to declare a state of emergency and criticized the lack of a response from the governor there, Viktor Laiskodat. The Prosperous Justice Party criticized Indonesian president Joko Widodo for attending the marriage of Indonesian celebrity Atta Halilintar instead of addressing the disaster of Seroja. The governor of East Nusa Tenggara declared a state of emergency on 6 April 2021, which was thought to be too late by many. People in the affected regions asked President Joko Widodo to come instead of asking local officials to assist because they are considered too slow and uncoordinated. A member of the Indonesia National Student Movement from the region harshly criticized the local government and asked the President to directly see and discipline them. On 7 April, due to the perceived unresponsiveness and incompetence from East Nusa Tenggara provincial disaster mitigation agency on the aftermath of Cyclone Seroja, the head of the agency, Thomas Bangke, was fired by the governor. A similar course of action was taken by the mayor of Kupang, where the head of the city's regional mitigation agency was fired for being "slow". Retirement Due to its onslaught, the name Seroja was retired from the naming list and was replaced by Rambutan. ==See also==