Cyclone Debbie update: QLD evacuations underway as monster storm approaches (http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/cyclone-debbie-update-qld-evacuations-underway-as-monster-storm-approaches/news-story/acfd57081e8d2d9fd93403d8e888c9fb)

Well we have heard of deadly hurricanes in the Caribbean and Typhoons in the Pacific which are all too frequent but here is one about to provide a repeat performance of a few years ago when Yasi devastated North Queensland. This one is called Debbie and will strike a few miles south of where Yasi came ashore. A tidal surge of four metres is predicted, that's about 15 feet for those on the other side of the pond and winds of 260 kilometres per hour, so anything not tied down is history, there are a lot of old buildings in the region not built to modern standards and Queenslanders have an unfortunate habit of raising their houses in stilts providing the winds with opportunity. Fortunately, this part of Australia is not highly populated, no large cities are likely to be hit but we can expect flooding throughout the northern river systems. Large scale evacuations have started from the low lying towns along the coast. The prized Great Barrier Reef is in the path so expect environmental groups to go nuts

260 km=161 mph . We don't get hit with any hurricanes of that strength . Prayers .

Possibility it has gone to category 5

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-28/cyclone-debbie-makes-landfall-in-north-queensland-live-blog/8391312

Cyclone Debbie photographs capture trail of destruction left across north Queensland - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-29/cyclone-debbie-aftermath-gallery/8395494)

Despite widespread damage, NQ may have been spared far worse, so far 2 deaths reported together with missing persons, Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach bore the brunt of the cyclone's fury and there is much property damage and the aftermath of floods yet to be felt

The effects of this cyclone have now spread 1,000 kilometres south with capital city, Brisbane, being shut down and flooding extending into New South Wales. It seems the entire east coast will suffer the effects as this massive storm system moves south. It was apparent from satellite images that at one stage it covered 2/3 of Queensland which is a huge area, Queensland is 1.85 million sq. km . Timely evacuations have saved lives but the tourist industry on the Great Barrier Reef has been shattered and food production has been severely affected

Quoting the Queensland premier "We have a very, very large state and this is a very, very big weather system that's going to wreak havoc all the way down the coast,"

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-cyclone-thousands-to-be-evacuated-from-whitsundays/news-story/73de6804d1e437a517b2fb6a79e7c738

Hope Australia gets through this storm with as little damage and loss of life as possible. It's sure a huge one.

Hope Australia gets through this storm with as little damage and loss of life as possible. It's sure a huge one.

Thanks for your good wishes, it has become bizairre with a shark being found out of water in Ayr, people are only now being evacuated from the barrier reef islands, no more deaths reported thankfully, but the aftermath is floods which hampers relief, the system hasn't moved back out to sea yet, some parts of the coast look like a tsunami with even large boats high and dry

I hope you guys weather this storm Clete, Mother Nature takes no prisoners and us humans are pretty helpless.

Hi Tal I'm hopeful it won't reach me, but these systems have a reputation for hanging on. I have relatives in Brisbane so I expect they are being pounded, the conditions are still category 1 even if it is called an ex cyclone but the amount of water it has sucked up is extraordinary

I hear a shark was swimming down a street .

I hear a shark was swimming down a street .

Don't know about that one, Tom, but given the amount of flooding in the river systems there may be more than one. The pic I saw was of a 2 metre shark high and dry next to what might have been a water filled roadway, washed in in the storm surge I expect. They are now saying this is bigger than the 2011 and 2013 events

http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/tourists-warned-not-to-drink-water-as-cyclone-debbie-causes-more-flooding-evacuations/news-story/d4fa38916cf353c393f3fc0816189f1f

http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/bull-shark-found-washed-up-after-devastation-of-cyclone-debbie/news-story/3d7acdb9ab07257b1f2cd632a110aa3d

Clarke and Dawe - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/clarkeanddawe/)