On a Friday in late February this year, Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Marcia and Category 4 Tropical Cyclone Lam hit northern Australia.
Living Black journalists Karla Grant and Laura Murphy-Oates travelled in the storms' aftermaths to the communities of Galiwinku and Milingimbi in Arnhem Land, and Yeppoon and Rockhampton in Central Queensland to get the stories of Indigenous Australians affected by the Cyclones.
How did they prepare for the storms? What were their experiences when the cyclones hit? How have they recovered in the wake of these natural disasters?
Here are some of the human faces of resilience, courage and survival, that they found.
Michael Lewukan, 57, is a night patrol officer on the remote Island community of Milingimbi. In a town with no police force, he and other community members maintain order by patrolling the streets in shifts from 6PM-4AM. (Image: Jack Bullen/NITV)
The night cyclone Lam hit Milingimbi in Arnhem Land, Michael Lewukan and his patrol partner risked their lives ferrying people to safe houses and the cyclone shelter at the airport until 4AM. They drove through wind gusts of up to 260km/hour. Michael says he lives for his community and he doesn’t need to be thanked.
In the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Marcia, Rockhampton residents still managed to smile despite their losses. In an example of how people banded together, electrician Blair Vea Vea helped people to test their white goods and appliances to make sure they were safe to use. Many electrical items were water logged as water flooded homes.
Barbara Dhamany, 60, is a well-respected and award-winning former health worker in Milingimbi, serving the community for over 35 years. She lives in one of the beach-side houses that are most vulnerable to the destructive winds of Cyclone Lam. The night of the cyclone she was picked up by Milingimbi night patrol officer Michael Lewukan and taken to the cyclone shelter. She was surprised that the community did not have more support leading up to the cyclone.
Mother of 12, Vanessa Saunders, recounted the day Tropical Cyclone Marcia ripped through Rockhampton in a story of survival. Scared that their home would collapse in the strong winds, Vanessa and her family left the house in the midst of the storm, escaping with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Returning to the house for the first time, Vanessa was emotional as looters had rummaged through their belongings, but she counts her blessings and has remained positive, thankful that her family are all well and alive.
Army reservist Ed Mosby spoke about his role in the emergency clean up effort taking place in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Marcia. He said it will take some time before Central Queensland fully recovers from the devastation left by the cyclone.
The Tjuwanpa women rangers manage 4,500 hectares of land in the Central Desert. They flew more than 1,500 kms from their remote Central Desert community Ntaria, near Alice Springs, to help out with the clean-up in Milingimbi following Cyclone Lam.
Living Black returns with 'Cyclone Special: Eye of the Storm' on Monday 6th April at 5pm on SBS ONE and Tuesday 7th April at 9pm on NITV.
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