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At the first meeting of the emergency committee held in the early afternoon of Christmas Day it was concluded that Darwin had effectively ceased to exist as a city (at least for the moment) and that a massive evacuation was essential. (Gurd et al p. 643). This assessment was confirmed by Stretton when he arrived that evening to take charge of the emergency. The scale of the evacuation has been questioned by many cyclone victims, and by subsequent observers. Within two days about 10,000 people had left, about half by road and half by air. It appears that after this initial outflow the desire to evacuate dissipated - there was a growing feeling that it was better to "stay and see it out". However, Stretton was committed to reducing the city's population to a "safe level" of 10,500, and he implemented a number of measures designed to make evacuation very attractive. (Stretton, 107). Stretton was supported by the government, which promised full reimbursement of personal costs consequent on evacuation.  The momentum of the evacuations was regained, and in the end 25,628 people were evacuated by air, and 7,234 left by road. By 31 December 1974 only 10,638 people remained in Darwin. (Milliken, 199). Given that he had assurances from the Director of Health that there were no serious health problems, and given that we now know that the adverse impacts of the cyclone were more serious among those who were evacuated, Stretton's judgment that the population of the town should be reduced to 10,500 could be questioned. However, it must be said that, in its context, the decision can be understood, even if it is called into question.
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