1973 Flores cyclone

Category 3 Australian region cyclone in 1973 November 2025 November 2025 Flores 1973-04-28.png Satellite image of the Flores cyclone on 28 April 1973 4 26 y 1973 4 30 y 80 950 $5 million (USD) 1,650-1,653 total (Deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in the Southern Hemisphere) Indonesia 1972–73 Australian region cyclone season The 1973 Flores cyclone was the deadliest known tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere. The cyclone formed in the Banda Sea on 26 April as a tropical low. It intensified as it moved in a west-southwest direction, before shifting to the south. Early on 29 April, the cyclone peaked as a Category 3 storm on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale used in the region with 10-minute sustained winds of 150 km/h (90 mph) and a pressure of 950mb (28.05 inHg), before striking the north coast of the Indonesian island of Flores, dissipating the following day. The cyclone killed 1,650 to 1,653 people, including 1,500 fishermen on Palue Island alone, and resulted in losses of around $5 million (USD). The cyclone dropped heavy rainfall across Flores, causing deadly flash flooding that damaged buildings and roads, destroying or damaging thousands of houses. Additionally, on 29 April, a Portuguese ship travelling from Portuguese Timor to Thailand capsized in the Flores Sea, leaving one survivor. Authorities in the Indonesian capital Jakarta received news of the disaster in Flores a month after the cyclone's passage, with the ship's sinking officially confirmed on 28 May. Meteorological history Flores 1973 track.png There is no recorded data of the unnamed cyclone in the Tropical Cyclone Warning Center of the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency. However, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology has records of the cyclone.Arif Ahmad Seroja Mengingatkan pada Tragedi Siklon Flores 1973 Seroja Reminiscent of 1973 Flores Cyclone Tragedy https://www.kompas.id/baca/ilmu-pengetahuan-teknologi/2021/04/09/seroja-mengingatkan-pada-tragedi-siklon-flores-1973 17 November 2024 Kompas 9 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20241117043725/https://www.kompas.id/baca/ilmu-pengetahuan-teknologi/2021/04/09/seroja-mengingatkan-pada-tragedi-siklon-flores-1973 17 November 2024 8 id live Arif 2021b limited On 26 April, a tropical low formed in the Banda Sea. According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), the low moved to the west-southwest and intensified, although this was based on a later analysis. As the storm was outside of the agency's jurisdiction, the BoM did not issue warnings on the system at the time. The low attained gale-force winds late on 27 April as it moved into the Flores Sea. Late the next day, the storm turned southwestward.1973116S05131 International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies 1973 Severe Tropical Cyclone FLORESCYCLO (1973116S05131) 15 April 2020 The BoM estimated that the storm reached peak intensity early on 29 April, assessing it as a Category 3 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, with 10-minute maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h (90 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 950mb (28.05 inHg).Goldberg Rankey 2023 While near peak intensity, the small cyclone had its eye embedded within a central dense overcast, 295 km (185 mi) in diameter.Padgett Gary Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary December 2001 May 24, 2002 https://www.typhoon2000.ph/garyp_mgtcs/dec01.txt Typhoon2000 April 20, 2020 14 June 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230614014618/http://www.typhoon2000.ph/garyp_mgtcs/dec01.txt live Its eye was also evident on an infrared satellite image at 0140 UTC.Approximate location: 8 s 121.5 E.Callaghan Bonell 2005 166 The cyclone made landfall on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Flores at around 09:00 WITA with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) and a pressure of 975 mb inHg 4.48 Tahun Silam, Badai Tropis Dahsyat Melanda Flores: 1650 Orang Tewas, 1800 Rumah Rata dengan Tanah 48 Years Ago, a Devastating Tropical Storm Hit Flores: 1650 People Killed, 1800 Houses Flattened https://www.kompas.tv/nasional/162911/48-tahun-silam-badai-tropis-dahsyat-melanda-flores-1650-orang-tewas-1800-rumah-rata-dengan-tanah 17 November 2024 Kompas TV 9 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20241117094411/https://www.kompas.tv/nasional/162911/48-tahun-silam-badai-tropis-dahsyat-melanda-flores-1650-orang-tewas-1800-rumah-rata-dengan-tanah 17 November 2024 id live After crossing the island, the cyclone dissipated on 30 April near Flores' southern coast. Impacts thumb|right|The cyclone on 29 April at 10:00 WITA (02Z) No warnings were issued in preparation of the cyclone. At the time, the cyclone was not in Australia's area of responsibility, and up until an eye was visible prior to the cyclone's landfall in Flores, forecasters were uncertain of the cyclone's existence due to limited observations. O Arbiru Manufactured in 1963,Hooke 1989 342 O Arbiru was a Portuguese-flagged government cargo vessel that was used to transport necessities to Portuguese Timor via Bangkok, Thailand.Ahmed Zahra 10 Flores Sea Facts You Should Know https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/flores-sea-facts/ Marine Insight 6 July 2025 6 March 2024 16 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250616091741/https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/flores-sea-facts/ live The ship was on its way to Bangkok to requisition rice supplies and had left Dili, Portuguese Timor, on 28 April.Gunn 2000 246 On 29 April,Hooke 1989 342 while in the Flores Sea, the cyclone capsized the ship.Estimated coordinates: 08 00 S 122 00 E.Hooke 1989 342Ship sinks https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110710542 6 July 2025 The Canberra Times Australian Associated Press; Reuters 21 May 1973 Lisbon, Portugal 4 TroveTropical Cyclone Unnamed (Flores Sea) Bureau of Meteorology April 22, 2020 http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/nt/Unnamed_Flores_Sea.shtml 6 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230406171410/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/nt/Unnamed_Flores_Sea.shtml dead Only crew member Paulo do Rosário survived.Death tolls/occupant counts vary from source to source: The New York Times 1973 26: " with 19 crew members and five women passengers Only one survivor has been found "; Marine News 271: "There was one survivor from the 26 persons "; Druk Losel 1985 26: "and of the twenty-five people on board including the captain and "; Hooke 1989 342: "Twenty-five lives were lost "; Padgett 2002: "The Flores Cyclone was responsible for the loss of a ship with 21 lives "; Callaghan Bonell 2005 166: "During April 1973, a tropical cyclone sunk a ship with the loss of 21 "; Daly 2016 30: "500-ton ship sank, killing 26"; Arif 2021b: "Dari 19 awak dan 5 penumpangnya, hanya satu awaknya yang ditemukan selamat di Pulau Flores."RETROSPECTIVA / 73 – PROVÍNCIA https://www.newspapers.com/article/a-voz-de-timor-retrospectiva-73-prov/176035309/ 6 July 2025 A Voz de Timor pt A Voz de Timor 4 January 1974 Dili, East Timor 10, 11 pt-TL RETROSPECTIVE / 73 – PROVINCE sn94048190 30603137 Newspapers.com – Copy https://web.archive.org/web/20250710175104/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/254790964 10 July 2025 available via Trove from the National Library of Australia. He was reportedly found clinging to a piece of wood and was taken to Flores by local fishermen where he was cared for.Hooke 1989 342Ship survivor found https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-ship-survivor/184680059/ 10 November 2025 The Sydney Morning Herald 20 May 1973 4 Newspapers.com The air forces and navies of Indonesia, Portuguese Timor, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States collaborated in the air-sea search and rescues;Esperanças de encontrar o «Arbiru» https://archive.org/details/cc_dl_06817.167.26363/page/4/ 4 April 2026 Diário de Lisboa 53 18102 17 May 1973 4 pt Hopes of finding the "Arbiru" Internet ArchiveO NAVIO “ARBIRU” AFUNDOU-SE DEVIDO A UM TORNADO -encontrado um sobrevivente https://archive.org/details/cc_dl_06817.167.26364/page/4/ 4 April 2026 Diário de Lisboa Lusa News Agency 53 18103 18 May 1973 Dili, East Timor 4 pt The ship “Arbiru” sank due to a tornado - one survivor found Internet Archive however, the searches failed to locate more survivors, with Australian coastal radio stations alerting ships entering the Flores Sea to search for survivors. The sinking was officially announced on 28 May. Indonesia In total, the cyclone killed 1,650Masters Jeff Africa's Hurricane Katrina: Tropical Cyclone Idai Causes an Extreme Catastrophe https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Africas-Hurricane-Katrina-Tropical-Cyclone-Idai-Causes-Extreme-Catastrophe 21 March 2019 Weather Underground 23 March 2019 4 August 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190804083147/https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Africas-Hurricane-Katrina-Tropical-Cyclone-Idai-Causes-Extreme-Catastrophe liveWarren 2019 to 1,653 people.Death toll Australian Associated Press; Reuters https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110715084?searchTerm=flores&searchLimits=exactPhrase The Canberra Times June 18, 1973 Jakarta 5 April 22, 2020 27 August 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200827205214/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110715084?searchTerm=flores&searchLimits=exactPhrase live TroveDiamond et al. 2022 S243 On Palue Island alone, the cyclone killed 1,500 fishermen who were fishing at the time of the cyclone's landfall.Goldberg Rankey 2023Bencana taufan Flores tak akan jejas S'pura https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian19730609-1.2.6 8 November 2025 Berita Harian 9 June 1973 Singapore 1 ms Flores typhoon disaster will not affect Singapore NewspaperSG The storm lashed the coast with a storm surge that broke tens of meters inland, which newspapers described as a "tidal wave". In Ngada Regency, 24 people drowned after being swept away by high waves.53 swept to deaths https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montreal-star-53-swept-to-deaths/165739035/ 16 February 2025 The Montreal Star Reuters 6 June 1973 Montreal, Canada 40 Newspapers.com Another 10 people were killed in Manggarai Regency, and another 10 in Maumere.Rosary Ebed Belajar dari Siklon Tropis Seroja. Bagaimana Antisipasinya? https://www.mongabay.co.id/2021/05/08/belajar-dari-siklon-tropis-seroja-bagaimana-antisipasinya/ 17 November 2024 Mongabay 8 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20230807074825/https://www.mongabay.co.id/2021/05/08/belajar-dari-siklon-tropis-seroja-bagaimana-antisipasinya/ 7 August 2023 id live Reports described Ngada to be the worst hit area.Report of deaths in storms https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110713324 12 January 2025 Australian Associated Press The Canberra Times 7 June 1973 Trove 12 January 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250112095228/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110713324 live For three days, the storm dropped heavy rainfall across Flores, which produced deadly landslides and flash flooding that washed away rice fields, livestock, and entire homes. The cyclone wrecked government buildings, schools, homes, dams, and bridges. Heavy damage was reported in the regional capital of Ende, with roads sustaining damages from tidal waves.Terror waves kill 1,500 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19730607-1.2.2 8 November 2025 The Straits Times Reuters 7 June 1973 Jakarta 1, 24 NewspaperSG Around 1,800 houses were levelled with others being badly damaged. Boats that were in the path of the cyclone were destroyed. A Kompas report from June 1973 stated that plantations on the island were destroyed with paddy fields being "ruined". In Palue Island, 1,300 houses were destroyed, representing 80% of houses on the island.Arif Ahmad Siklon Tropis, Ancaman Baru Indonesia Tropical Cyclones, Indonesia's New Threat https://www.kompas.id/baca/ilmu-pengetahuan-teknologi/2021/04/08/siklon-tropis-ancaman-baru-indonesia 17 November 2024 Kompas 8 April 2021 id limited 18 November 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241118165922/https://www.kompas.id/baca/ilmu-pengetahuan-teknologi/2021/04/08/siklon-tropis-ancaman-baru-indonesia/ live Smaller islands around Flores were described as being destroyed. The storm was described as apocalyptic and was nicknamed the "Flores Death Cyclone". Aftermath The Flores cyclone is the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere.Goldberg Rankey 2023 At the time, losses were estimated to be at around $5 million.Bame Hila Siclon Seroja 1973 menewaskan 1500 orang dan 1800 Rumah di Flores https://inakoran.com/siclon-seroja-1973-menewaskan-1500-orang-dan-1800-rumah-di-flores/p31471 17 November 2024 InaKoran 17 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021243/https://inakoran.com/siclon-seroja-1973-menewaskan-1500-orang-dan-1800-rumah-di-flores/p31471 17 April 2021 id live News of the disaster in Flores took a month to reach authorities in Jakarta due to lack of communications and the remoteness of the island.7 June 1973 53 killed by tidal waves Australian Associated Press https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250744957?searchTerm=flores&searchLimits=exactPhrase 6 Papua New Guinea Post-Courier April 22, 2020 7 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230407021856/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250744957?searchTerm=flores&searchLimits=exactPhrase live Trove The Australian Associated Press wrote that, "Belated reports of disaster in Indonesia are not unusual as communications are virtually non-existent with some of the far-flung islands." It was not uncommon for disasters to only be learned of in Jakarta weeks after they happened.Waves hit Indonesia, 53 killed https://www.newspapers.com/article/waterloo-region-record-waves-hit-indones/190316496/ 1 February 2026 Waterloo Region Record Reuters 6 June 1973 Jakarta, Indonesia 64 Newspapers.com The governor of East Nusa Tenggara (Flores' province) was in Kupang, Timor, near Flores, at the time of the cyclone, and he only received news of the disaster during a visit to Jakarta a month after the cyclone's passage.Governor learnt of disaster a month late https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19730621-1.2.25 11 November 2025 The Straits Times Reuters 21 June 1973 Jakarta 3 NewspaperSG Following the cyclone, the Government of Indonesia donated Rp30,000,000Equivalent to $180,000 (1973 USD). to seven regencies on the islands of East Nusa Tenggara, including Flores and Sumba. Bank Negara Indonesia donated Rp250,000 to the victims of the cyclone through the Ministry of Social Affairs.Karyawan BNI 1946 Sumbang Utk Flores https://mpn.komdigi.go.id/arsip/page/65438/sheet 3 April 2026 Abadi 25 June 1973 2 id BNI 1946 Employees Contribute to Flores National Press Monument A government relief team accompanied by the Red Cross arrived on the island on 5 June and began damage assessments.Untitled https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19730609-1.2.23.1.7 8 November 2025 The Straits Times 9 June 1973 Jakarta 5 NewspaperSGRelief team sent to storm-hit Flores Island https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19730608-1.2.118 8 November 2025 The Straits Times Reuters 8 June 1973 Jakarta 30 NewspaperSG The Kompas report from June 1973 noted that locals in Flores were facing a food shortage as food and rice supplies sent to the island were not sufficient. The town of Lela's only hospital was left without water after the cyclone displaced pipes into the sea.Bantuan dike jar ke Pulau Flores yang dilanda taufan https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian19730608-1.2.26 8 November 2025 Berita Harian Reuters 8 June 1973 Jakarta 3 ms Aid rushed to typhoon-hit Flores Island NewspaperSG After the floods, the Indonesian government constructed the Sutami Weir, which was finished in 1975. The weir controlled the water flow on the island and helped irrigate 6500 ha acre on of rice paddy fields.Indonesian Bendung Sutami di Mbay, antara Harapan dan Tantangan Sutami Dam in Mbay, between Hope and Challenge July 25, 2016 April 22, 2020 Kompasiana https://www.kompasiana.com/isz.singa/57963455c423bdc9304a933a/bendung-sutami-di-mbay-antara-harapan-dan-tantangan 6 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230406110419/https://www.kompasiana.com/isz.singa/57963455c423bdc9304a933a/bendung-sutami-di-mbay-antara-harapan-dan-tantangan live See also Tropical cyclones Indonesia List of the deadliest tropical cyclones 1970 Bhola cyclone – The deadliest tropical cyclone recorded worldwide Cyclone Idai (2019) – The second deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in the Southern Hemisphere Cyclone Inigo (2003) – Caused deadly floods in Indonesia before developing into a tropical cyclone Cyclone Seroja (2021) – Another deadly tropical cyclone that struck similar areas Notes References Sources 30em Ship Sinks Off Indonesia https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/19/archives/ship-sinks-off-indonesia.html 22 April 2020 The New York Times Reuters 19 May 1973 18 May 1973 https://web.archive.org/web/20230406202348/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/19/archives/ship-sinks-off-indonesia.html 6 April 2023 Lisbon, Portugal 26 live The New York Times 1973 [...] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Marine_News/moMaAAAAMAAJ 8 November 2025 Marine News 26-27 World Ship Society 1972–1973 Marine News United Kingdom 271 Google Books O Arbiru https://www.google.com/books/edition/Druk_Losel/-s8llQShQD4C 8 November 2025 Druk Losel 6 1-3 Department of Information 1985 1984 Bhutan 26 ocm06182557 Druk Losel 1985 Google Books Hooke Norman Modern Shipping Disasters, 1963-1987 1989 Lloyd's of London Press London; New York 978-1-85044-211-0 342 https://archive.org/details/lloydswarlossess0000unse/ 8 November 2025 limited Internet Archive Gunn Geoffrey C. New World Hegemony in the Malay World 2000 The Red Sea Press Lawrenceville, NJ 978-1-56902-135-4 246 1. print 55mXS56nMPkC yes 9 November 2025 From Salazar to Suharto: Toponymy, Public Architecture, and Memory in the Making of East Timorese Identity Google Books Callaghan J. Bonell M. Bonell M. Bruijnzeel L. A. Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics 2005 Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK 10.1017/CBO9780511535666 978-0-521-82953-3 166 An overview of the meteorology and climatology of the humid tropics Daly Patrick Feener R. Michael Rebuilding Asia Following Natural Disasters: Approaches to Reconstruction in the Asia-Pacific Region 2016 Cambridge University Press Cambridge, United Kingdom 10.1017/CBO9781139683548 978-1-107-07357-9 30 https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139683548 8 November 2025 Daly 2016 Warren Matthew Why Cyclone Idai is one of the Southern Hemisphere's most devastating storms http://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00981-6 8 November 2025 Nature 26 March 2019 10.1038/d41586-019-00981-6 subscription Diamond H. J. Schreck III C. J. Allgood A. Becker E. J. Blake E. S. Bringas F. G. Camargo S. J. Chen L. Coelho C. A. S. Fauchereau N. Goldenberg S. B. Goni G. Halpert M. S. He Q. Hu Z. Klotzbach P. J. Knaff J. A. Kumar A. Landsea C. W. L'Heureux M. Lin I. Lorrey A. M. Luo J. Magee A. D. Pasch R. J. Pezza A. B. Rosencrans M. Trewin B. C. Truchelut R. E. Wang B. Wang H. Wood K. M. Woolley J. State of the Climate in 2021 Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 2022 103 S243 10.1175/bams-d-22-0069.1 https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0069.1 8 November 2025 Diamond et al. 2022 The Tropics American Meteorological Society United States 1520-0477 Goldberg Walter M. Rankey Eugene C. A Global Atlas of Atolls 14 July 2023 CRC Press 10.1201/9781003287339 978-1-003-28733-9 1 https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Global_Atlas_of_Atolls/YpDLEAAAQBAJ 26 February 2026 The Atolls of Indonesia Google Books Further reading Tomodok E. M. Hari-hari akhir Timor Portugis 1994 Pustaka Jaya id Pustaka Jaya Jakarta 978-979-419-130-9 Cet. 1 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Hari_hari_akhir_Timor_Portugis/9WxwAAAAMAAJ id The Final Days of Portuguese Timor Google Books Ferreira Priscilla de Oliveira Que Timor é este na literatura de Luís Cardoso? 2014 http://hdl.handle.net/10183/102210 10 November 2025 What kind of Timor is this in Luís Cardoso's literature? Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul pt-BR Doctorate S.H Fransisco Soarez Pati The sinking of the ship O ARBIRU, Dili – Bangkok 1973 in Maumere waters, Flores Island, Indonesia https://www.colonialvoyage.com/the-sinking-of-the-ship-o-arbiru-dili-bangkok-1973-in-maumere-waters-flores-island-indonesia/ Colonial Voyage 6 July 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20221108190005/https://www.colonialvoyage.com/the-sinking-of-the-ship-o-arbiru-dili-bangkok-1973-in-maumere-waters-flores-island-indonesia/ 8 November 2022 28 August 2022 dead MV O Arbiru [+1973] https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?283656 Wrecksite Category:1972–73 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season Category:1973 in Indonesia Category:Tropical cyclones in 1973 Category:Tropical cyclones in Indonesia Category:Flores (Indonesia) Category:April 1973 in Asia