DEBBIE’S FURY
Queenslanders wake to survey damage after thrashing by Debbie’s 250km-plus winds
Queenslanders are surveying the damage this morning as Cyclone Debbie begins to slow after thrashing the state’s coast. The severe cyclone hit the Whitsundays yesterday — including Hamilton Island, where dozens of Kiwis were holidaying.
Wellingtonian Emma Gibbons, staying at the Beach Club resort with her family, said guests were told to hunker down in their rooms overnight. If necessary they were to shut themselves in the resort’s bathrooms, where there were no glass windows.
Witnesses reported winds “like freight trains” thrashing the island and trees being uprooted as the cyclone’s destructive core passed over.
Gusts up to 263km/h were reported at the island’s airport.
Witnesses on Hayman Island, the northernmost island in the Whitsundays, spoke of an “eerie silence” as the eye of the storm moved over.
About 30,000 people were told to evacuate along the north coast of Queensland, including more than 20,000 in low-lying Mackay as storm surges pushed high tides up by nearly 1m.
Cyclone Debbie made landfall on the mainland around 12.40pm local time between Airlie Beach and Bowen, breaking windows, shaking buildings and sending sheets of metal flying down the street.
People were warned to stay indoors and not be tempted to go outside even as the eye passed over, bringing clear skies momentarily.
But despite the warnings, footage emerged of young men boogie boarding on a debris-strewn beach.
At least one man was taken to hospital, having been badly injured by a falling wall in Proserpine, inland from Airlie Beach. Another person was killed on Monday in weather conditions related to the cyclone.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the Australian Parliament the situation was “deteriorating rapidly” and activated the disaster response plan.
The Australian Defence Force was mobilising soldiers, vehicles, aircraft and other resources to respond to Debbie, clearing debris and opening roads. The Insurance Council of Queensland declared the cyclone a “catastrophe”.
Debbie was downgraded from a category 4 to category 3 and then 2 last night as wind speeds fell to 115km/ h near the centre, with gusts to 155km/ h. Hurricane-strength winds and heavy rain were expected through to this morning.
High winds had prevented emergency services from moving in the worst-affected areas, and more than 48,000 homes were without power.
Queensland police commissioner Ian Stewart said power outages meant many people had no way of contacting emergency services and they “could be in a difficult, dangerous or tragic situation”.
He also asked people to watch out for looters and send photos to police if they saw anything suspicious.