‘Monster’ cyclone hits Australia
Residents hunker down as 270kph winds lash northeast
ayR: A “monster” cyclone made landfall in northeast Australia, cutting power and uprooting trees as coastal towns went into lock-down in the face of lashing rain and howling winds.
Great Barrier Reef islands popular with tourists were pummelled by the category four storm yesterday, which hit the Queensland state coast with destructive wind gusts of up to 270kph near its wide core.
There were fears the tempest’s arrival would coincide with early morning high tides, causing severe flooding, but its progress slowed before it crossed the coastline between the towns of Bowen and Airlie Beach.
By yesterday night, it had been downgraded to a category two storm, with wind gusting up to 155kph. The full force of the cyclone, however, pummelled popular tourist destinations.
“It felt like we were underneath a freight train for most of the night, strong base rumbles as the wind rattled past and made the buildings shake,” said Cameron Berkman, who was holidaying on Hayman Island.
Queensland politician Mark Ryan said it was also chaotic at Airlie Beach, the mainland holiday gateway to the Whitsunday Islands.
“Trees down in Airlie Beach and reports of windows shattering and some roofs starting to cave in,” he tweeted.
The Bureau of Meteorology, which forecast up to 500mm of rain, said people should stay calm and not be complacent as the eye of the storm passes.
“Do not venture outside if you find yourself in the eye of the cyclone – very destructive winds from a different direction could resume at any time,” it said. — AFP