Despair and relief in cyclone's wake.

There is not much news coming from Queensland yet, I can't contact my Dad, the phone lines and towers are down, so I will wait and see. All indications are good, there has been no loss of life as yet.

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/03/3128710.htm



Despair and relief in cyclone's wake

Updated 58 minutes ago



The roof of a destroyed house lies on the road in front of it in Innisfail after Cyclone Yasi hit the coast on February 3, 2011. (Reuters : Tim Wimborne )



Emergency crews are cutting their way into storm-shattered communities in north Queensland to assess the extent of the damage after category five Cyclone Yasi roared ashore overnight.

The towns of Tully, Mission Beach, Cardwell, Silkwood and Innisfail bore the brunt of the monster storm's 285kph winds but there are no reports of deaths or serious injuries.

Buildings were destroyed, roofs were ripped off houses, and trees were shredded as the monster storm slammed ashore at about midnight.

This morning the cyclone was heading inland towards Georgetown and Charters Towers and had been downgraded from a category five to a category two system, but higher-than-normal tides and large waves continued to threaten coastal areas between Port Douglas and Ayr.

Emergency crews who have just entered the coastal town of Cardwell have reported widespread damage, with older buildings the worst hit.

A woman who drove into Cardwell on a backhoe last night says trees and powerlines are down and many houses and commercial buildings in the town have been destroyed or extensively damaged.

Early estimates from Tully are that one in three homes have suffered storm damage and 70 per cent of businesses were affected.

But Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says some towns appear to have escaped major damage.

"I certainly think that many in north Queensland will be breathing a sigh of relief," she said.

"I am equally aware that communities will be facing scenes of considerable devastation.

"Many people will be feeling a great sense of despair. Can I say to you, 'You are not alone'."

Confirming that there were no reports of deaths, Ms Bligh cautioned it was too early to draw any conclusions.

"It's a long way to go before I say we've dodged any bullets. It is still not safe out on any of those streets ... many injuries and fatalities can occur after the cyclone has passed.

"In some places we've got some early assessments of damage and some places we're yet to get people into."

Ms Bligh says suburbs to the north of Townsville and areas in the upper Burdekin area are also bracing for heavy flooding.

She says Palm Island has not seen significant damage, although powerlines were down and roofs were damaged.

Frightening night

Tully residents say the cyclone sounded like a runaway train as it pounded their homes.

"The wind and the sound of roofs being peeled off ... I just think it's just tragic," said one resident.

Red Cross coordinator Noelene Byrne said the town resembled a war zone.

"It's just like weapons have come though, bombs have come through and destroyed everything," she said.

News Limited photographer John Wilson said it appeared every house in the town had been damaged.

Parts of the town had also been inundated.

'It certainly is an extensive amount of damage to a large number of buildings here," he said.

Tully local Gordon was defiant in the face of the monster storm, saying: "Category five and we survived".

'Gut-wrenching'

Raymond Bosnich of Mission Beach says the town is a scene of devastation, with vegetation stripped bare and extensive damage to homes.

Beachfront roads and properties have also been inundated by the storm surge.

"I would rate it as the same level as when Cyclone Larry came through five years ago," he said. "It's gut-wrenching, to do it all again so soon, it's something that none of us are looking forward to.

"But we'll do it, we've done it before and the community will do it again."

Police officers at Mission Beach say they thought they were going to die.

Sergeant Dan Gallagher says most of the town's 6,000 residents left days ago to avoid the monster storm, but about 1,000 people stayed behind and he is hoping no-one has been hurt.

He says he has been through big cyclones before, but Yasi was the most frightening thing he has ever experienced.

"The whole building really started to have a bit of shake to it, certainly the roaring of the wind was astronomical," he said.

"Hearing things breaking outside was really something that you just couldn't imagine in our township.

"I expect there to be fairly substantial damage out there and the possibility we may have injuries."

Local woman Suzanne McClure says the cyclone has wrought havoc in the marina at Port Hinchinbrook, south of Cardwell.

"What I'm seeing at the moment is the mass destruction of all the million-dollar yachts and cruisers and everything that's been moored in this marina over the last few months," she said.

"They're all sitting up in everybody's yards just smashed to pieces." Tweet