Cyclone damage delays troops, rescue workers
AUSTRALIA: Cyclone Debbie wrought widespread but moderate damage in Australia’s northeast, authorities said yesterday, as flooding, rain and fallen trees slowed troops and emergency workers reaching the worst-hit areas.
No deaths were reported after Debbie tore a trail of destruction through Australia’s northeast on Tuesday as a category four storm, one rung below the most dangerous wind speed level, before being gradually downgraded to a tropical low.
Two cars have been found submerged in floodwaters in cyclonehit north Queensland, sparking a search for the drivers and possible passengers. At least one of the cars went under on the Bruce Highway near Proserpine and was found with its windows down yesterday.
Thousands of people took shelter as tourist resorts along the Great Barrier Reef and coastal areas were belted with wind gusts stronger than 260kmh. They woke to streets filled with debris.
‘‘It’s been absolutely smashed. You can’t get out or in there’s so many trees down,’’ Jon Clements, who was holidaying on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays when the storm hit, said. ‘‘There are hardly any leaves left on any trees.’’
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the worst-hit area was the Whitsunday coast and islands, some 900km northwest of the state capital, Brisbane. Water was cut to Daydream Island, where there were 200 guests and 100 staff, she said.
At Mackay, not far from the Whitsunday coast, fences and sheds were blown away, rivers were swollen and high tides and heavy swells still pounded the shore yesterday.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: ‘‘Nature has flung her worst at the people of Queensland. ‘‘There will be . . . a lot of damage done now to recover, to clean up, to restore power, to make power lines safe.’’
More than 63,000 people were without electricity.
Queensland State Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner Peter Jeffrey said there had been ‘‘a limited amount of severe damage’’.
Campbell Fuller, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Australia, said it was too early to put a dollar figure on the damage.
Hundreds of hectares of sugarcane crops had been flattened, Dan Galligan, chief executive of industry body Canegrowers, said.
Townsville Airport reopened, although airlines Qantas and Virgin said flights to Hamilton Island, Proserpine and Mackay were cancelled.
Ports at Abbot Point, Hay Point and Mackay were closed.
BHP Billiton said work remained halted at its coal mines in the storm’s path, as did Stanmore Coal Ltd.
Heavy fain fell over a wide swath of Queensland yesterday as the system moved inland, with flood and poor weather warnings in place statewide.
Only two injuries reported, police said.
Palasczuk repeated her appeal for people to stay off roads, as emergency response teams try to get in, and ahead of more heavy rain and bad weather caused by the former cyclone.
Bad weather is expected to hit the southeast corner today and Friday, before the rain depression that was cyclone Debbie moves offshore. – AAP, Reuters were AUSTRALIA: As Cyclone Debbie ravaged the Whitsunday coast for hours upon end, six exhausted people hugged each other and cried inside an ambulance station which had lost power.
But they were tears of joy from three paramedics, a doctor and two proud parents, whose daughter arrived during the category four storm.
Tiny Billianna was the first of two baby girls welcomed into the world at Queensland ambulance stations during the devastating cyclone.
Billianna’s mother, Suzanne, went into labour about midnight on Tuesday. Inundated roads prevented Suzanne and partner Tim driving to hospital.
So paramedics went to her Airlie Beach home, which had lost power, and found her in darkness in the bathroom, having contractions every two minutes.
The initial plan was for the SES to ferry her down the river from Airlie Beach to Proserpine Hospital
‘‘But, I decided that, no, it was too dangerous as her contractions were growing stronger every minute and it’s dark,’’ paramedic Pamela Price said.
Instead they took Suzanne to the nearby Whitsunday ambulance station, where lights and equipment had been rigged up from a generator. A few hours later, at 4.20am, baby Billianna was born.
‘‘We did call in an off-duty doctor,’’ Price said. ‘‘She came along and oversaw us.’’
Price described the delivery in the midst of Debbie’s chaos as ‘‘surreal’’ and ‘‘absolutely amazing.’’
‘‘It was beautiful. Everyone was crying and hugging each other. It was wonderful.’’
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called Billianna’s arrival a piece of good news in a devastating situation. Price agreed. ‘‘This place is shredded, there’s mass destruction everywhere so to see this absolutely beautiful birth of a most beautiful little girl . . . all the spirits are lifted.’’
In a second boost, another baby girl was delivered at an ambulance station at Nebo, about 100km southwest of Mackay, at 10.34am yesterday.
Queensland Ambulance Service said the healthy newborn and her mother were still at the station because of road closures but were doing well. – AAP