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Severe Tropical Cyclone Barry is one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded, and the strongest recorded storm in 2024. Forming in the Bismarck Sea on 6 November 2024, just five days after the start of the 2024–25 Australian region cyclone season, it took only two days for the storm to reach peak intensity.

The storm caused significant flooding in 12 of the 14 provinces of mainland Papua. With a death toll of 3,786, it is the deadliest tropical cyclone of 2024, the deadliest since Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded in Papua. The predominant use of wood as a building material, the low-lying geography of the affected region, the lack of preparations and the rapid speed of the storm, all contributed to the high death toll.

Meteorological history
On 6 November, a tropical depression was recorded by the PGA (Papua Geophysical Agency), northeast of Lorengau. It was heading in a southwestern direction. Twelve hours after being discovered, it upgraded into a tropical storm, now heading towards Madang Province. By 8 November, the storm had rapidly intensified into a severe tropical cyclone. It maintained its status as a severe tropical cyclone as it traveled across Madang and Highlands Provinces. It weakened on 9 November but began to regain strength as is crossed the Gulf of Papua on 10-11 November, but weakened and dissipated near Popondetta on 12 November.

Madang City
In Madang City, 305 deaths and 60 missing were confirmed in the suburb of Deta, the only area of the city that has been reached as of 9 November. and hospitals and hotels were affected, with damage reported. About 290 radio stations were down, and communication was completely cut off in the city. Damage costs in the city were at $108.7 million.

Posts on X (formerly Twitter) show destroyed buildings and flooded streets. All roads to the city were either blocked, flooded or destroyed. Over 100,000 people were feared dead in the city, although death counts were put on hold as of 9 November. A city official said this estimate could be as high as 650,000, considering the fact that the storm struck the city at night, the lack of any preparations, and the city's proximity to the eye of the storm.

Karkar
On Bagabag, "total destruction" was reported, with "no house left standing" on the island. About 20,600 people were estimated to have been left missing by the cyclone or 17% of Bagabag's population. The town of Badiliu recorded 644 deaths, with none of the 4,055 houses left standing after the storm hit. In Semamur, 576 deaths were reported, 13% of the town's population, with thousands more missing; most of the casualties consisted of entire families that were sheltering in their homes in an attempt to protect themselves from the storm. All 1,095 of the town's houses were destroyed. Damage on Bagabag amounted to $408.6 million.

Bogia
Over 40,000 buildings in Bogia City were damaged by Cyclone Barry, including the Bogia Nuclear Power Plant. Workers at the plant feared major radiation leaks, especially with the absence of electricity due to power outages, but backup generators kept the reactors running until power was restored. Damage to the power plant was put at $1.7 million. Over 95% of the city was flooded in the days after Barry's landfall. At least 304 people were killed in the city, with 267 injured and 73 others missing. Damage in the city amounted to $21.2 million. In Yawar, 43 people were killed and 60,000 more were affected.

On Manam island, wind gusts were estimated at 175 mph (282 km/h), with 14,362 homes damaged, 6,573 of them severely. At least 10 people died on the island. The high winds and flooding affected much of Manam's vegetation, wrecking sugar cane fields as well as fruit and nut trees. The worst-affected town on the island was Baliau, where seven people were killed and 6,528 houses were damaged or destroyed. Damage on the island was estimated at $6.94 billion, most of which was due to infrastructural damage around Mount Manam; landslides around the volcano were widespread, with some destroying houses in neighboring villages.

Highlands
At least 112 people were killed by Cyclone Barry and 51 others were reported missing in Porgera, mainly due to landslides in and around the Porgera Gold Mine, with one of them killing 102 miners. Losses from the storm reached $806 million in the city. In Komo, a hiker was killed by a landslide resulting from heavy rains.

At least 169 deaths, 59 missing, and 476 injuries occurred in Baiyer due to Barry, mostly due to landslides destroying small villages. Torrential downpour and strong winds destroyed 5,601 houses and damaged 11,217 more in the municipality. Some schools also collapsed and bridges were washed out due to strong currents from overflowed rivers. About 17,212 hectares of crops were also destroyed. In the neighboring municipality of Mul, 181 deaths, 85 missing and 50 injuries occurred, with over 9,000 houses damaged. In Lagaip, 363 were killed as a result of Barry, with 607 others injured and 90 missing; a majority of the casualties were caused by flooding and landslides, with damage costs in the municipality reaching $567.3 million.

Morobe
In Lae, the storm killed 48 people and injured 266 others. In the city, 12,239 buildings were damaged, including 1,892 which suffered complete destruction. Damage costs in the city exceeded $3.63 billion. Due to the storm, 245,000 rail passengers and 15,000 airline passengers were left stranded.

Three people were killed and extensive damage was caused in Tolokiwa, a major refugee camp for West Papuans. Much of the camp's informal houses and shelters were reportedly destroyed. Damage on the island exceeded $11.2 million.

In Sialum, 54 people were killed and 50 others were wounded. A total of 564 structures were destroyed, 300 houses were damaged, roads were cut in 15 locations, and two dikes were ruined. Over 10,000 people fled their homes. Damage was estimated at $386.9 million.

In Finschhafen, 60 people were killed and 292 others were injured by the storm. Barry damaged 333,000 hectares of crops, and caused damage to 32,000 buildings. Damage in the city amounted to $486.9 million.

New Britain
In Gloucester, strong winds and a 1.35 m high storm surge destroyed 105 houses and damaged 1,905 more in Kilenge, where 37 people were killed and 50 more were injured. In the town, the waves caused a 34-person sailboat to sink, killing 33 of the occupants. Two more people drowned, another died of panic and a man was fatally struck by lightning. At least 16,000 ha (40,000 acres) of rubber plantations and 1,600 ha (4,000 acres) of shrimp farms were damaged in Gloucester. Damage in the municipality was estimated at $32 million.

Moresby
In Port Moresby, 888 people lost their lives, 4,533 others were injured and 165 more were left missing; 351 of the deaths and all of the missing were caused by a massive landslide in Gerehu, which destroyed 800 houses. There were another 537 deaths elsewhere in the city; 342 direct and 195 indirect. Jacksons International Airport was closed due to flooding on the runway, and all train services in the city were suspended until 13 November. In the city center, 29 people were killed, including 14 fishermen, five were missing, 33 others were injured and over 1,000 buildings were damaged. Damage in the city was estimated at $397.4 million.

Kairiku was the worst-affected suburb of Port Moresby, with 252 fatalities and over 4,000 injuries recorded, with damage costs exceeding $42.8 million. Winds of about 220 kph were recorded there. In the area along Barry's path, 38,636 houses and 120 schools were damaged or destroyed, affecting 211,000 people, including 46,864 students. About 75% of Kairiku's crops were destroyed and in some towns, 85% of houses were completely destroyed.

In Hiri, the storm killed five people and waves of up to 3.7 m flooded beaches. In the municipality, 450 houses were destroyed and 1,500 others were damaged, as were many hotels and restaurants. About 19,250 ha (47,570 acres) of farmland were also damaged. Damage in Hiri amounted to $297 million. In Rigo, 17 people were killed and 15 others were missing, with 345 houses and a communications tower severely damaged.

East Sepik
The storm dropped rainfall across the entire island of Kairiru, peaking at 894 mm (35.2 in) in a 24‑hour period. The winds and rainfall damaged crops and houses and also caused power outages, killing 14 people on the island during its passage, with 12 others missing.

Manus
The entirety of Manus Province reported moderate to severe damage from Cyclone Barry. At least 23 people were killed in the province, mostly due to drowning or flying debris; damage in Manus amounted to $246.2 million.

Oro
The cyclone killed 123 people in Afore, including 108 from five landslides that destroyed many small villages; 14 people were also left missing. Up to 3,030 homes were damaged across the municipality. Most of the damage was concentrated along the Emo River which burst its banks.

In Kokoda, 39 people were killed after the remnants of the storm caused severe flooding, which left 25 villages isolated. Rains continued following the storm, preventing areas from being reached. Throughout the district, Barry destroyed 12 bridges and disrupted the drainage systems along the regional road network. Heavy rainfall also caused rivers to overflow, causing heavy damage in adjacent fields that affected rice, cassava, and bananas; about 1,800 ha (4,400 acres) of rice fields were destroyed. Two villages were completely destroyed by flooding, leaving 500 residents homeless. The storm damaged at least 1,500 houses and destroyed another 850, affecting around 60,000 people. Barry also destroyed ten temples and ten schools, as well as 25 medical centers. The preliminary damage total was around $6.52 million, although it did not include crop or infrastructure damage.

Gulf
In Kikori District, 12,500 houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving 50,000 people homeless. The floods also washed away bridges and railroad tracks, and damaged 50 km of roads. Transport links connecting flooded areas to Kikori City were restored within a few days. Rivers exceeded their banks, isolating tens of thousands of people in villages along the Kikori River. At least 200 people were killed in Kikori, all of them in the village of Kapai, where 90% of houses were destroyed by the storm and subsequent flooding.

In Kerema District, 29,075 houses were damaged or destroyed and over 667,000 acres (2,700 km2) of crops were wiped out. Material damage totaled $339.1 million, and the death toll in the district stood at 45, with eight others injured. Damage also occurred to 121 schools, 49 public buildings and 38 bridges. About 90% of the district was flooded, including four-fifths of Kerema City.

Fly
In Daru, 13 people were killed, 12 more were injured and 150 houses were destroyed. Rainfall reached 356 mm (14 in) in some areas of the city, causing rivers to overflow and flood neighboring villages and neighborhoods. Damage in Daru amounted to $41.3 million. Another 45 people were killed and $5.1 million worth of damage was caused in Gogodala.

Sandaun
Across Namea, the storm killed 25 people, left five missing, destroyed 1,860 homes and damaged 16,500 more. The flooding blocked highways and damaged railway lines. Widespread crop damage occurred, with 87 sugar factories damaged.

In Oksapmin, 32 people were killed by the storm; 20 from a landslide and 12 more from flooding. About 4,180 homes were damaged in the municipality, affecting 16,000 people. A station in Oksapmin Town measured 15.46 in (393 mm) of rain. Rural roads in the town were blocked by mud and rocks. Damage in Oksapmin amounted to $132.1 million.

Milne Bay
The remnants of Barry caused significant flooding in Alotau, killing 87 people, leaving 16 others missing, destroying 264 buildings and damaging 293 more. A maximum of 17.8 in (450 mm) of rain fell in the city. Landslides caused a majority of the fatalities, with the deadliest one killing 37 people.