In the comments section of Margo Kingston’s Webdiary, John Pratt writes:

“As
a survivor of Cyclone Tracy I couldn’t help but compare the botched
evacuation of New Orleans to that of Darwin. The evacuation of Darwin
happened over the Christmas period; it was a credit to the Australian
armed forces, emergency services and the Whitlam government, their
rapid response and expertise saved many lives.

At 10.20 PM on
the 25 of December 1974 {only 14 hours after the devastating winds of
Tracy had stopped.} Major General Stretton arrived to take command. In
the first two days 10,000 people had been evacuated in the following
days a further 25,000 were evacuated. It was an orderly evacuation; the
sick injured and elderly first, followed by the women and children. The
airport was cleared of debris and made operational. One of the first
planes to arrive carried 184 police to help the overwhelmed local
police. Medical teams arrived, clean up teams arrived. On the 26
December, 48 hours after the cyclone, seven naval ships left Sydney,
loaded with supplies and sailors recalled from leave.

On the
ground in Darwin stores opened their doors, food and drink was given to
anyone who needed… no need to loot it was given away! People were the
first priority not property.

The survivors pulled together, pooled resources and helped to protect the weak.”