Tropical Cyclone Megan is set to hit the NT, bringing 200 km/h winds and massive rains, with questions raised over the NT Government’s delay in ordering the evacuation of residents of Borroloola, which was called off on Monday afternoon hours after the Chief Minister said up to 700 people would be evacuated, which follows delays to the construction of a cyclone shelter that was supposed to be finished last year.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned that cyclone Megan, which intensified to category three yesterday, can develop into a category four tonight and is projected to hit the NT coast with a warning area straddling hundreds of kilometres—from Alyangula on Groote Eylandt in the NT to the Queensland border and inland to Borroloola, the McArthur River Mine and Robinson River.

Megan’s centre has been classified as destructive, which is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 220 km/h and rainfalls of between 300 mm and 400 mm.

Evacuation plans in the community of Borroloola were suspended Monday afternoon as Australian Defence Force aircraft could not land due to the worsening weather conditions.

More than 700 people in the community are now being forced to shelter in place as the cyclone hits, however there are only around 40 cyclone-coded homes and buildings in the community.

Back in March of last year, the government issued a statement that a dedicated cyclone shelter would be completed by the end of 2023, however that was not completed on time.

The Borroloola cyclone shelter was prioritised by the government due to “vulnerability factors” including population, ability to self-evacuate, road accessibility and the likelihood of a cyclone event.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler said on Monday afternoon that the government would be “working with the local emergency management team to keep the community safe” after the failure to evacuate residents.

“There are enough buildings in Borroloola that are rated to withstand a category 3 cyclone to keep the community safe,” she wrote on Facebook.

“These include the police station, the health centre and dozens of homes in the community.

“The ADF will land at Borroloola when safe to do so.”

Borroloola has 40 buildings that are graded to withstand a Category Three cyclone, which the Opposition said was not enough.

It was not immediately clear why the government did not request ADF assistance before Sunday. Police Minister Brent Potter said on Monday afternoon that the cyclone “moved faster” than the government believed it would.

The BOM said dozens of towns in the area could experience rainfall totals of 150 mm and 200 mm and wind gusts of up to 110 km/h.

Carpentaria to Arnhem and Barkly are under flood watches, with flood watches expanding as Megan hits the coast.

“We expect it to maintain tropical cyclone intensity through to Borroloola and even to McArthur River Mine,” Shenagh Gamble from the bureau said.

“Severe Tropical Cyclone Megan is beginning to impact the southwestern Gulf of Carpentaria coast.

“There is a moderate chance that this system could develop into a category four tropical cyclone.”

The GEMCO manganese mine’s wharf was damaged by severe weather over the weekend, leading to the mine halting operations.

Mine owner South 32 issued a statement to say the safety of their people and the community on Groote Eylandt was the priority.

“Initial inspections indicate the cyclone has caused structural damage to the wharf,” the statement said. “The full impact of the damage and subsequent disruption to production and sales volumes will be assessed when access to the port and other infrastructure is restored.”

Opposition CLP MLA Steve Edgington said the evacuation of Borroloola residents should have occurred on Sunday, not Monday.

He said he had spoken to people who had tried to evacuate earlier but floodwaters forced them back into the community and 300 people who had gone to the council office to be airlifted out, only to see the ADF planes unable to land.

Mr Edgington said he was concerned about the safety of residents.

“There’s certainly not enough [cyclone-coded shelters],” he said, adding the proper cyclone shelter was still under construction.

“What we’ve seen is the government dragging its heels when it comes to building critical infrastructure in Borroloola. Today, as the cyclone barrels down on Borroloola, residents are left wondering why they are in this situation. They’re stranded there at the moment and there’s very little shelter.”

NT Police Superintendent Sonia Kennon urged Territorians to exercise caution during the cyclone’s onslaught.

“It might already be too late for some residents to leave as the cyclone approaches… When the tropical cyclone does arrive, we need you to take shelter inside.”

“Stay indoors until all clear is given by the authorities,” Superintendent Kennon said.

The bureau said the weather system would return to a tropical low as it heads further inland on Tuesday and Wednesday.