Cat 5 Cyclone to strike Queensland

[JamesSavik]

Forecasters: Cyclone poses 'serious threat to life' in Queensland

 

Bryony Jones for CNN

February 2, 2011

Source Link: CNN

 

A huge tropical cyclone taking aim at Australia's Queensland state has strengthened to a Category 5 -- the highest designation on Australia's cyclone classification system -- and its landfall is "likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations," forecasters said.

 

Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi has winds gusting up to 295 kph (183 mph) and is expected to maintain that intensity until making landfall in northeastern Queensland late Wednesday evening local time, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said.

 

The cyclone threatens more devastation for Queensland, which already has been hit by deadly flooding in recent weeks.

 

"Yasi ... poses an extremely serious threat to life and property within the warning area, especially between Port Douglas and Townsville. This impact is likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations," the bureau says on its website.

 

Hundreds of patients have been evacuated from hospitals in the far north Queensland town of Cairns, and residents are being told to leave their homes as Cyclone Yasi closes in.

 

The storm is forecast to make landfall between Cairns and Innisfail.

 

Experts say it will bring torrential rain and cause a storm surge of up to 2 meters above the usual high tide line, flooding low-lying areas along the coast.

 

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned the state faces "one of the most significant weather events" in its history.

 

"This is a life-threatening storm, and people need to understand that they have a final window of opportunity to self-evacuate," Stewart said.

 

"In the hours that are left, people need to make their final preparations to either shelter in place, or evacuate."

 

The state's premier, Anna Bligh, has urged residents in the threatened areas to take sensible precautions and to stay inside once the storm hits.

 

"These will be highly destructive winds... they will be life-threatening if people make it their business to go outside in them.

 

"Loss of life and serious injury ultimately depends on people being sensible, listening to the warnings, taking advice and not treating this as a tourist event.

 

"It will be a display of the awesome power of nature, but it's not something you want to go outside and watch."

 

More than 250 patients -- including premature babies, those in intensive care, and on dialysis -- are being airlifted to facilities in Brisbane for treatment after the storm forced the closure of two hospitals in Cairns.

 

"We understand this will cause some anxiety, but it is only being done to make sure that very ill, very vulnerable patients are in the safest place possible," said Bligh.

 

More than 20 people died and thousands of homes were wrecked when severe flooding hit Queensland in January, affecting 3.1 million people.

 

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a one-off flood tax aimed at helping to pay for the estimated AUS $5.6 billion (US $5.58 billion) damage caused.

[Kavrik]

Superstorms, floods, and everything east of the rockies buried in ice. This is "normal" weather according to naysayers of global climate change. Yeah right.

 

 

[Marzipan]

Firstly: Let's hope folks are ok in there.

 

I believe in global warming just by watching the news and seeing the statistics. Poor polar bears too.

 

I'm angry that we could have answers to turn the wheel back a bit or even slow down the warming prosess, but instead we just want more, more,more. Could we not settle for less? I'm talking both as a individual, western consumer and a part of human kind.

 

Argh, got myself angry again thinking about the drowning polar bears...

 

 

[thephoenix]

Ugh...the problems just keep stacking up for Australia.

 

I hope people do heed the warnings and evacuate and I hope they get out in time.

 

This has every potential to be a catastrophe of Katrina proportions.

[Jon T Lappin]

Superstorms, floods, and everything east of the rockies buried in ice. This is "normal" weather according to naysayers of global climate change. Yeah right.

 

 

Don't you know climate change science is a huge conspiracy committed by scientists across the world to get people to be more environmentally friendly? /sarcasm

[JamesSavik]

<anti-global warming flame retracted since that shit doesn't belong here>

 

[Palantir]

The cyclone hit last night with winds of up to 290 km per hour in places. Amazingly, and thankfully, there is no known loss of life from this 600 kilometer wide act of nature.

The greatest damage seems to have been the banana and sugar-cane crops. In one of the townships at least a third of the buildings were demolished.

Luckily (miraculously many people are saying) there was a late shift in the path of the cyclone and the city of Cairns was spared the full brunt. - not so lucky for the townships to the south which weren't spared.

The cyclone is still a category one even though it's been over the mainland for nearly a day.

Such is the strength of Yasi that they are issuing possible flood warnings for Alice Springs which is in the centre of the continent and the flow of moisture laden air could dump heavy rains on the Southern state of Victoria which only a week ago had floodwaters covering an area 90 kms long and up to 50 kms wide.

The people of Innisfail have had it really rough, having just recovered from another cyclone only five years ago

[Bumblebee]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshowajax/145074/the-aftermath-of-cyclone-yasi.slideshow

 

Just if anyone wants to see some pictures

 

Poor QLD! First more then half the state is flooded, then a cyclone.... I think the weather hates them

[Zolia Lily]

Worst of it is, to pay for all the damage bills, the government is cutting spending- especially on environmental issues and counter global warming initiatives!!! It's like- you're not going to fight climate change?

And you think we're getting once in a lifetime floods / cyclones / fires all within a few years of each other BECAUSE......?????

 

AND all these stupid people are now saying it was all just a big media stunt since it didn't end up being that bad. So they'd rather the government didn't take precautions and left them out there to take a risk???

Gee, you know... i can really see them taking that in stride...

 

 

[Bumblebee]

Worst of it is, to pay for all the damage bills, the government is cutting spending- especially on environmental issues and counter global warming initiatives!!! It's like- you're not going to fight climate change?

And you think we're getting once in a lifetime floods / cyclones / fires all within a few years of each other BECAUSE......?????

 

AND all these stupid people are now saying it was all just a big media stunt since it didn't end up being that bad. So they'd rather the government didn't take precautions and left them out there to take a risk???

Gee, you know... i can really see them taking that in stride...

 

 

 

 

Whats really sad is that hundreds of millions are going overseas to 3rd world countries from our govermnent, funding schools and sending food to countries that then bomb us and hate Australia

Yet only $17 million so far is given to help our own state which has had the worst natural disaster in history!

 

And now banana prices are going to go up again

[Graeme]

Let's keep the politics out of here, please There's already a post in The Soapbox regarding the politics of the Queensland flood levy - feel free to create another thread there on whatever you want

 

There's been one reported death so far, and two people reported missing. The death was from someone running a generator in an enclosed room and they died as a result of the fumes.

 

Also, just for clarification, Australia uses a different scale of cyclone ratings to the USA's hurricane rating. In particular, a category 5 in Australia is the equivalent of a category 4+ in the USA.