Thousands shelter as "screaming, howling"
Cyclone Debbie hits north Australia
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[March 28, 2017]
By Tom Westbrook and Benjamin Weir
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Howling winds, heavy
rain and huge seas pounded Australia's northeast on Tuesday, damaging
homes, wrecking jetties and cutting power to thousands of people as
Tropical Cyclone Debbie tore through the far north of Queensland.
Wind gusts stronger than 260 km per hour (160 mph) were recorded at
tourist resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef as the storm
made landfall as a category four, one rung below the most dangerous wind
speed level.
It was later downgraded to category two. Forecasters said high winds
would likely persist overnight, although the storm would then weaken
rapidly and was expected to be downgraded to category one by dawn on
Wednesday.
Police said one man was badly hurt when a wall collapsed at Proserpine,
about 900 km (560 miles) northwest of the Queensland capital, Brisbane,
and was taken to hospital.
But the weather was still too bad to assess damage fully or mount an
emergency response.
"We will also receive more reports of injuries, if not deaths. We need
to be prepared for that," Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart
told reporters in Brisbane.
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As the storm forged slowly inland after nightfall, state premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk urged people to stay indoors.
"It is a serious event and we do not want to see loss of life," she told
the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"It will be a difficult night for people across our state."
Cyclone Debbie made landfall at Airlie Beach, north of Proserpine,
shortly after midday local time (0200 GMT), knocking out telephone
services.
"It's very noisy: Screaming, howling wind ... sounds like a freight
train," Jan Clifford told Reuters by text from Airlie Beach as the
cyclone made landfall.
"Still blowing like crazy," she said four hours later.
Authorities had urged thousands of people in threatened areas to flee
their homes on Monday, in what would have been the biggest evacuation
seen in Australia since Cyclone Tracy devastated the northern city of
Darwin on Christmas Day, 1974.
CATASTROPHE DECLARED
Torrential rain flooded streets and wind smashed windows, uprooted trees
and tossed debris down streets, while jetties at Airlie Beach marina
were wrecked, Nine Network television pictures showed.
Power was cut for 48,000 people in a wide area between the towns of
Bowen and Mackay, north and south of Airlie Beach, Ergon Energy
spokesman John Fowler said.
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Strong wind and rain from Cyclone Debbie is seen effecting trees at
Airlie Beach, located south of the northern Australian city of
Townsville. AAP/Dan Peled/via REUTERS
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Ports at Abbot Point, Mackay and Hay Point were shut and Townsville
airport was closed. Airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia
suspended flights to and from the region and said planes may also be
grounded on Wednesday, although Townsville airport said it would
reopen.
BHP Billiton and Glencore halted work at their coal mines in the
storm's path.
The Insurance Council of Australia declared Cyclone Debbie a
catastrophe, making it easier to make claims, but said in a
statement it was too early to estimate the cost of damage.
With an eye 50 km (30 miles) wide, the cyclone had earlier damaged
tourist resorts, washed away beaches and tore boats from moorings as
it swept through the Whitsunday islands, guests told Reuters by
telephone.
Cyclone Debbie is the strongest storm to hit Queensland since
Cyclone Yasi destroyed homes and crops and devastated island resorts
in 2011.
Authorities had feared tidal surges in low-lying areas as the storm
whipped up waves and currents and lifted sea levels, but said later
that danger had eased.
Holidaymakers tried to make the best of it as they bunkered down in
resort buildings. "Go to the Whitsundays they said, it'd be fun they
said, beautiful weather over here," holidaymaker Kurt Moore told the
Sydney Morning Herald.
"I'm so glad we got evacuated out of the place we were staying at, I
think we'd be pooping watermelons right now to be honest," he said.
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Despite issuing evacuation orders, police said they were not sure
how many people had heeded their advice.
That did not deter some thrill-seeking bodyboarders who paddled out
to surf in the heaving seas at Airlie Beach, television footage
showed.
(Additional reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Paul Tait)
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