Cyclone Narelle's Impact on Exmouth Property Owners

Amanda Sanders, a resident of Bencubbin, Western Australia, owns a holiday home in Exmouth that sustained water damage following Cyclone Narelle. Ms. Sanders had cancelled an earlier trip to Exmouth due to the approaching cyclone.

Property Damage and Travel Challenges

Ms. Sanders monitored her Exmouth property via security cameras until power was lost at approximately 3 AM on Friday. Friends later assessed the damage, reporting internal water damage and wet patches on the ceiling. This necessitated Ms. Sanders' travel to Exmouth for cleanup.

Travel to Exmouth presented significant difficulties. A flight from Perth to Exmouth, previously priced at $359, increased to $1200 for a one-way fare. Road travel was deemed unfeasible due to anticipated flooding.

"A flight from Perth to Exmouth, previously priced at $359, increased to $1200 for a one-way fare."

Cyclone Preparation and Building Standards

The property, owned by Ms. Sanders since 2016, is rented through Exmouth Holidays. The agency provides a service of preparing client homes for cyclones, a service Ms. Sanders acknowledged as valuable.

Despite the incident, Ms. Sanders stated that extreme weather events do not deter her from owning property in Exmouth. She noted that many properties in the area are built to cyclone-rated standards, which, while more expensive, contribute to minimal damage during such events.

Ms. Sanders emphasized that a cyclone of this intensity would cause extensive demolition in a town without such building codes.

Qantas was contacted for comment regarding flight price changes.