‘Monster’ batters Oz

DEBBIE DOES DAMAGE: CYCLONE CUTS POWER AND UPROOTS TREES

Destructive wind gusts reach speeds of up to 270km/h near its core.

A“monster” cyclone smashed into northeast Australia yesterday, cutting power, damaging buildings and uprooting trees, with coastal towns in lockdown as residents battled lashing rain and howling winds.

Great Barrier Reef islands popular with foreign tourists were battered by category four cyclone Debbie which hit the coast of Queensland state with destructive wind gusts of up to 270 km/h near its broad core.

There were fears the storm’s arrival would coincide with early morning high tides and cause severe flooding, but it slowed before crossing the coastline between the towns of Bowen and Airlie Beach in the early afternoon.

The effects of the storm, which was downgraded to a still powerful category three as it moved over land, were felt across a huge swathe of coast.

“It felt like we were underneath a freight train for most of the night, strong bass rumbles as the wind rattled past and made the buildings shake,” Cameron Berkman, who is holidaying on Hayman Island, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. –

Picture: EPA Trees wave during strong winds in Bowen, Queensland, Australia yesterday. Category 4 cyclone Debbie made landfall on the north coast of Queensland yesterday morning. NO CALM PALM