CAIRNS, Australia — The most powerful cyclone to strike northeastern Australia in nearly a century howled inland early today, tearing off roofs, flattening trees and cutting electricity to more than 170,000 people.
As the sun rose after a night of furious winds and torrential rain, authorities advised residents to stay indoors until the situation could be assessed. Police said utility and transportation teams were surveying the extent of damage.
The eye of Cyclone Yasi roared ashore just after midnight at the small resort town of Mission Beach in Queens land state, battering the coast known to tourists as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef with heavy rain and winds gusting to 186 mph.
“Vegetation has been reduced to sticks,” said Sgt. Dan Gallagher, Mission Beach officer in charge.
Cyclone downgraded
Strong winds and torrential rain still battered towns in the early morning, making it too dangerous to venture far outside homes and evacuation centers and determine the extent of property damage.
No deaths or serious injuries had been reported.
Cyclone Yasi was downgraded as it moved across Queens land state but remained a dangerous storm front, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Damaging winds of above 55 mph continued along the coast and inland, and Queens land Premier Anna Bligh urged residents to seek shelter as the storm approached.
“We have people safe and sound today who would have been in the path of danger last night if they hadn’t listened to the warnings,” she said. “There is no room for complacency. It may be weakening, but it is still a powerful storm and can and will bring danger to your communities. Please don’t take this lightly.”
Yasi compounded the suffering for Queensland, waterlogged by months of flooding that killed 35 people and inundated hundreds of communities. The cyclone struck far north of the flood zone, but the Bureau of Meteorology warned it could flood new areas of the state.
About 175,000 people were without power, and restoring it would be a major priority when the storm had fully passed, Bligh said, urging patience as it could be days, if not weeks, before power is restored in some regions.
“Terrifying experience”
“This has been . . . a terrifying experience, but this morning, because so many of them did take precautions, it seems that we certainly kept people safe in those centers, and I’m very pleased about that,” Bligh said.
She said most damage assessments were not yet available.
More than 10,000 people fled to 20 evacuation centers in a danger zone stretching 190 miles, amid strong warnings in the past two days. Many others moved in with family or friends in safer locations. Still, authorities prepared for the worst, including serious damage and possible deaths.
Witnesses reported roofs being ripped off, buildings shaking and trees flattened under the power of the winds. Officials said the storm surge would flood some places to roof level.
Amid the chaos was a bit of happy news: A baby girl was born at a Cairns evacuation center just before dawn, after a three-hour labor.
