Cyclone Yasi devastates Australia's Queensland coastal towns
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Damage to buildings caused by Cyclone Yasi is seen in the northern Queensland town of Mission Beach, 1600km (994 miles) north of Brisbane February 3, 2011. [Xinhua/Reuters] |
Australia's north Queensland small coastal towns have borne the brunt of Cyclone Yasi's fury, while the region's major cities of Cairns and Townsville have escaped relatively unscathed, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said on Thursday morning.
It appears Yasi, billed as a "a monster, killer storm", has not claimed any lives, nor caused any serious injury, Bligh said.
Small communities including ground zero at Mission Beach, where Yasi hit at midnight, near Tully, Innisfail and Cardwell have been hardest hit by Yasi's violent winds and rains.
Cairns and Townsville, where thousands spent a very long, nervous night in powerless evacuation centers, appear to have been spared any serious structural damage, and worst-case scenarios about damaging storm surges.
"The early news is not anything like I expected to hear this morning from a category five cyclone," Bligh said, describing the absence of reports of deaths or injuries as a huge relief.
But there was a note of caution: "I do stress in many cases we are yet to see any assessments."
Authorities were yet to get into places like Cardwell, where a large storm surge was expected.
"It's far too early yet to start talking about dodging bullets. "
The scene at Mission Beach was described as apocalyptic.
The manager of the Elandra Resort David Brook said the area now looked like "Vietnam (in the war movie) Apocalypse Now".
Trees are down, cars have been swept away, roofs have been torn off and the sand on the beach is gone.
"Nothing's been spared. The devastation is phenomenal, like nothing I've ever experienced," the veteran of at least five cyclones told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Tully, just inland from Mission Beach, is among the worst hit with roofs torn from homes, and banana and cane crops decimated.
Queensland's Cassowary Coast Councilor and Tully resident Ross Sorbello said there were scenes of mass devastation in the town, with the roof torn from his mother's home where he took shelter.
He was forced to abandon the property with his mother and wife and take shelter in a car. Many other residents had similar stories of roofs peeled back in winds.
The premier said early reports suggested about 90 percent of Tully's main street had been extensively damaged.
Tully resident Stephanie Grimaz said houses in her street had been ripped apart.
"There are sheets of iron everywhere, the streets are just full of debris."
The situation in Cardwell, which was evacuated before Yasi hit, remains unclear but forecasters had said a very high storm surge would inundate the town.
Widespread damage is also expected at Ingham, south of Cardwell, with mayor Pino Giandomenico saying Yasi hit with frightening power.
At Innisfail, which was devastated by Cyclone Larry in 2006, Cassowary councilor Bill Horsford says daylight has revealed a devastated landscape.
"It's just like the place has been sprayed with napalm, there's hardly a green leaf around, all of the beautiful mountains are now brown," he told the ABC.
"The cane crops are going to be devastated, it's just going to be devastation all round and all I can hope for is that there has been no loss of life or serious injury."
The premier said a major logistical task was now looming, initially to free up evacuation centers for people whose homes had been hit, and then to rehouse those people.
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