Cyclone Larry Lashes Northeast Australia

[deepdiver32073]

CAIRNS, Australia - The most powerful storm to hit Australia in decades laid waste to its northeastern coast on Monday, mowing down sugar and banana plantations and leaving possibly thousands of people homeless. But there were no reports of serious injuries, reflecting the preparedness of residents in the storm-prone region.

About 30 people were treated at hospitals for minor cuts and abrasions, said Ben Creagh, a spokesman for Queensland state Department of Emergency Services. Many people had fled their homes to shelter in evacuation centers ahead of the storm, while some hunkered down in their homes.

"This is far north Queensland and most people live with cyclones year in, year out. They do take precautions," said spokesman Jim Guthrie of Queensland's health department. "We've come out of it extremely well."

Cyclone Larry crashed ashore about 60 miles south of Cairns as a Category 5 storm, packing winds of up to 180 mph.

Cairns is a popular jumping-off point for visits to the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral system which runs parallel to the coast for more than 1,400 miles. Authorities said it was too early to assess possible damage to the reef, visited by nearly two million tourists each year.

In Innisfail, a farming town of 8,500 that was hardest hit, Mayor Neil Clarke estimated that thousands were left homeless. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the airport was being cleared to house people in tents. More than 100,000 people were without power, authorities said.

"It looks like an atomic bomb hit the place," he said.

The storm was so bad at its height overnight that police were unable to venture out and help terrified residents who called to say the winds had ripped roofs off buildings and destroyed their homes. As emergency services fanned out across the region later to assess the damage, they encountered scenes of devastation.

"The damage to dwellings is very extensive," Prime Minister John Howard told the Nine Network from Melbourne. "Thank heavens it does not appear as though there have been any very serious injuries."

Howard said he would visit the stricken region in coming days and the government would provide aid to homeless families. He said he was confident the cyclone would not cause the kind of chaos seen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina last year.

"Australians are very good at responding to these things because everybody pitches in without restraint," he told reporters.

The main street of Innisfail was littered with the mangled remains of corrugated tin and iron roofs and shredded fronds from beach side palm trees. Queensland state leader Peter Beattie said more than half the homes in the town were damaged.

"Some have been flattened, roofs have been taken off," he told Macquarie Radio. "The property damage has been immense."

Creagh said many people evacuated voluntarily over the weekend and would likely return to their homes Tuesday. Some who did not flee the town sheltered in a local college, he added.

"Tomorrow is going to be a big day" with residents returning to their homes, he said. "There will be some devastated people."

The storm also devastated banana and sugar cane plantations, the region's economic mainstay. Officials said damage would run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Des Hensler, an Innisfail resident, took shelter by himself in a church, with water up to his ankles. "I don't get scared much, but this is something to make any man tremble in his boots," he told the Seven television network.

Australia's military said it would send a medical team to the region. Helicopters would conduct low-level damage assessment flights.

State Disaster Coordination Center spokesman Peter Rekers warned residents to stay on their guard for deadly animals stirred up by the storm.

"Most of the casualties and deaths resulting from cyclones happen after the storm has passed," he warned. "Keep your kids away from flooded drains, be aware of snakes and crocodiles. Those guys will have had a bad night too."

The storm was the most powerful to hit Australia since Christmas Eve in 1974, when Cyclone Tracy destroyed the northern city of Darwin, killing 65 people.

[AYHJA]

A cyclone isn't a tornado..? Damn, that's news to me...Google time...

[deepdiver32073]

It's the same as a hurricane or a typhoon. Terminology depends on location:
"hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
"typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)
"severe tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E)
"severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
"tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)

[Pete]

I got heaps to say, but meanwhile here are the news reports.


http://seven.com.au/news/cyclonelarry

[Pete]

I heard from my father on Saturday that a cyclone is brewing up out to sea.

Sunday evening the security guard in the computer lab tells me that they are locking up the university for Monday due to the cyclone.

Monday Morning- all over Sunrise I'm hearing "Kurrimine Beach", "Kurrimine Beach", "Kurrimine Beach". My uncle Christy rings in to tell Melissa and Kochie how the next door neighbour's roof got blown off and that everything is devasted- he's never seen a cyclone like this all his life (and his family's been there for almost 100 years).

Frank & Rebecca Formosa, the neighbours across the road, have NO WALLS or roof. Half of it is in my parents' yard, and the roof tiles are in the road.




(You can just see the red-tiled roof of my parents house in the background, and my grandfather's beach house on the left-hand side.


Cane everywhere and bananas are completely FLATTENED. Massive trees are uprooted and cutting off roads. The whole place looks like a war zone.

People feel like their life is going down the drain.

Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Larry struck the Cassowary Coast Monday 20th March 2006 at around 6:30am.

[Pete]

I found the online version of one of the articles, even includes what my uncle said about the cyclone, and another picture of what's left of our neighbours house.


http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/stor ... 52,00.html

[Pete]

If I get a chance to go to my hometown on the weekend, I'll be posting pictures of it.

[Pete]

About my parents' house, when I finally managed to contact them, they said they were okay. The house is still intact, but tiles from the roof are off, the ceiling of the verandah is cracked and broken, water has leaked through the floors to my father's downstairs office, all the guttering is pulled off and lying around the yard, most of the trees are uprooted, the roller doors are jammed and one of them ripped right off and lying in the yard, everything is SOPPING WET and carpets (including the 24-year-old loungeroom carpet which has successfully put up with saltwater and cordial and icecream and shit and chocolate and sauces and vomit and soup over its lifetime) soaked & perished, stairs are probably about to collapse.

There's no power for a week, no water, and telecommunications keep dropping out.

[WAY]

Sorry to hear about that Pete..
You think Peter Beatie is doing his job as premier with this catastrophe..?

[Pete]

^^^ Sounds promising, but the proof is in the pudding..............