Queensland is flooding 09/01/2011 and is not cruise related

[thied]

Evacuations under way as Cyclone Yasi moves closer

 

 

To Queensland and the menacing power of one of the biggest cyclones to strike the coast of Australia in living memory.

 

Cyclone Yasi has lost none of its power as it continues on a course towards Queensland's far north coast; indeed it's increased in strength.

 

Here is Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, speaking this morning.

 

ANNA BLIGH: We are facing a storm of catastrophic proportions in a highly populated area.

 

You've heard all of the statistics and what it all adds up to is a very, very frightening time for people and their families.

 

This is not something that passes over the coast and is over in an hour - this is 24 hours of quite terrifying winds - anywhere up to 300 kilometres an hour - torrential rain, likely loss of electricity and mobile communications.

 

So people really need to be preparing themselves mentally as much as anything else.

 

The Mayor of Cairns, Val Schier, agrees. She says six evacuation centres have been set up, but she's warning that only two of them are cyclone rated.

 

full story at

 

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3127450.htm

 

 

 

 

.................

[thied]

cairns weather radar only as Willis island is not working at the moment

[thied]

Bligh tells north Queensland

 

UPDATE:

 

 

Streets in north Queensland are deserted as the region prepares for the onslaught of Cyclone Yasi, which has been upgraded to a category five event.

 

The cyclone is expected to make landfall between Cairns and Cardwell at 10pm (Queensland time) tonight, coinciding with the high tide.

 

State Premier Anna Bligh said the timing meant a very dangerous storm surge could be expected across a large stretch of the north Queensland coast.

 

‘‘I cannot say in strong enough terms, you have to take this window of opportunity to evacuate,’’ Ms Bligh told people at risk of the surge.

 

‘‘It will close within the next three hours. Do not bother to pack bags, just grab each other and get to a place of safety.’’

 

State disaster co-ordinator Ian Stewart said the winds would not suddenly pick up at midday.

 

“This wind is gathering speed now,” he said.

 

Mr Stewart said while roofs on houses may lift off, people should stay bunkered down as it would be far more dangerous to then run out of the property.

Ms Bligh urged people to prepare mentally for what would be a traumatic event.

 

 

http://www.myallcoastnota.com.au/news/national/national/general/get-out-now-bligh-tells-north-queensland/2064206.aspx

 

 

 

 

.............................

[thied]

Cyclone Yasi set to strike Queensland coastline

 

Following last month’s devastating floods in central and southeast Queensland – in which at least 35 people died – tropical Cyclone Yasi is expected to make landfall tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Residents in low-lying areas in the city of Cairns and its environs have been given until 8am today local time to evacuate their homes. People have been advised to find shelter with friends or family, but temporary evacuation centres have been set up for those without alternative accommodation.

Queensland premier Anna Bligh said Yasi – which is expected to be at least a category-four system with wind gusts of more than 250km/h (150mph) – posed a “very serious threat”.

“If you are contacted by emergency services or police and asked to relocate yourself and your family, please take this warning seriously,” Ms Bligh told residents. “This is a very significant and serious and potentially life-threatening cyclone.”

 

full story at

 

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0202/1224288772943.html

 

 

 

.....................................

[thied]

Cairns habour at 11.09 am 2/02/2011 not many boats left to be takin away.

 

 

 

[thied]

Airports across north Queensland close as cyclone looms

Escape by air from the tropical north Queensland in the path of category-5 cyclone Yasi has become virtually impossible, with most regional airports in the danger zone now closed and airlines ceasing flights.

Cairns and Townsville airports closed at 10am this morning after a rush of early morning flights; Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) airport closed last night and Hamilton Island's airstrip closed after the last flights out about 3pm yesterday.

Jetstar has announced that it has suspended scheduled services to and from Cairns, Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) and Townsville today and tomorrow.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Virgin Blue has also ceased flights in and out of these airports today. The airline warned that did not know when regular operations would resume.

Jetstar has shifted its aircraft from its Cairns base to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Qantas and its regional QantasLink services have also ceased from Cairns and Townsville though flights from Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay continue operating.

Cyclone Yasi continues to bear down on the Queensland coast, and is expected to hit between Cairns and Cardwell at about 10pm tonight with destructive winds forecast to reach about 300km/h, accompanied by lashing rains that are forecast to dump 70mm.

Virgin Blue says that, at present, flights from Mackay, Rockhampton, Fraser Coast (Hervey bay) and Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore) are unaffected, though the situation with Mackay may change later today.

 

 

full story at

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/airports-across-north-queensland-close-as-cyclone-looms-20110202-1ad6b.html

 

 

 

 

..................................

[thied]

Air Force evacuates 173 patients in Cairns mercy flights

 

Air Force has completed a series of mercy flights from Cairns to Brisbane, evacuating hospital patients ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Yasi in northern Queensland.

 

Last evening, Air Force dispatched two C-130 Hercules from RAAF Base Richmond and two C-17A Globemasters from RAAF Base Amberley for Cairns.

 

Arriving in Cairns on board these aircraft, Aero-Medical Evacuation Teams from RAAF Bases Amberley, Williamtown and Richmond worked alongside Queensland Health representatives to load 173 patients from Cairns-area hospitals.

 

full story at

http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=11362

 

 

 

 

..........................

[thied]

A mother of all storms

 

Sitting inland from Cairns and Innisfail is the AthertonTablelands.

A picturesque area, ex Territorian Melanie Van Haaren left Darwin to run a Bed and Breakfast in the historic Tablelands town of Yungaburra.

"It's the most beautiful town, it's one of the reasons we came here."

In the predicted path of Cyclone Yasi, the Tablelands are on full disaster alert as it prepares for the worst.

But for Melanie who is a survivor of Cyclone Tracey, she told 105.7ABC Darwin that she fears that some residents in the Tablelands are too complacent.

"We are expecting winds more than 300km an hour.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/02/02/3127859.htm

 

 

Cooktown residents lose drinking water supply

 

The Cook Shire Council in far north Queensland is warning residents in surrounding communities they are likely to be without water as early as this afternoon.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/02/3127931.htm

[thied]

I read this artical and it is very sad and cyclone tracy is reported to be a cat 4-5 and some say a cat 3 the highest winds recorded was 217km at the air port before it was distroyed.

 

Cyclone Yasi is a cat 5 and could have winds of over 300 km

 

Yasi stirs terrifying memories of Tracy

The massive storm bearing down on north Queensland raises one recurring question for Cyclone Tracy survivor Jan Elliott — how can you be prepared for something so terrible?

Mrs Elliott, her husband John and their 13-month-old baby boy survived seven horrific hours as much of Darwin was levelled in the storm that killed 71 people on Christmas Eve in 1974.

 

 

full story at

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/yasi/8205294/yasi-stirs-terrrifying-memories-of-tracy

[thied]

Photo's

 

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/environment/weather/queensland-prepares-for-yasi-to-strike/20110202-1acrd.html?selectedImage=0

 

 

Waves 12m high to lash coast

 

Cyclone Yasi to disrupt power, mobiles, food

 

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says residents should prepare to live without many essential services as Cyclone Yasi bears down on Queensland.

 

The surge has put tens of thousands of oceanfront and low-lying homes in Cairns and Townsville at risk of inundation, as well as both cities' CBDs.

Meanwhile, state disaster co-ordinator Ian Stewart said the town of Cardwell could experience a storm surge of 6.5 to 7 metres above the normal high tide.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/waves-12m-high-to-lash-coast-20110202-1ad82.html

 

 

[thied]

[thied]

Live coverage: Cyclone Yasi 'more life threatening than any experienced in recent generations'

Between Port Douglas and Ayr these winds will become DESTRUCTIVE with gusts in excess of 125 km/hr developing during this afternoon and early evening, spreading into the tropical interior overnight. VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with gusts up to 290 km/hr are expected to develop between Cairns and Ingham during the evening as the cyclone approaches and crosses the coast.

 

 

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/north-queensland-braces-for-cyclone-anthony-as-cyclone-yasi-brews-behind-it/story-fn7ik2te-1225998711771#ixzz1Cm0JtTew

 

............................

[thied]

as we can see the cyclone yasi has changed direction again to between innisfail and cardwell and it may change again

 

Innisfail and Cardwell first target for Yasi

 

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh thinks the area between Innisfail and Cardwell in north Queensland is the likely site for a direct hit from Cyclone Yasi.

The area between Innisfail and Cardwell in north Queensland continues to be the likely site for a direct hit from category five Cyclone Yasi, Premier Anna Bligh says.

She says wind gusts are still being recorded at 290km/h close to the eye of the cyclone.

She said the incredible intensity of the storm meant category three-type conditions could continue to be felt for about 12 hours after it crosses the coast.

"The most recent tracking from the Bureau of Meteorology does indicate that the area between Innisfail and Cardwell continues to be the most likely point that Cyclone Yasi will cross land sometime around 10pm this evening," she said.

She said the bureau had amended the northern limits of its cyclone warning, to exclude Cape Melville.

The northern limit was now Cape Flattery, meaning the community of Lockhart River was now outside the danger zone.

Ms Bligh said the Bureau of Meteorology would now provide hourly updates on the cyclone's progress, which could be viewed on the bureau's website.

She said Yasi had moved into the Cairns radar area after knocking out the Willis Island monitoring station.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=190103

[thied]

Australia's Cyclone Yasi may destroy even cyclone proof- homes

 

SYDNEY (Feb 2, 2011) : Australia's Cyclone Yasi, with winds of up to 300 km (186 miles) per hour, is so powerful it could blow apart even "cyclone proof" houses, engineers said on Wednesday.

Yasi is headed for major towns and cities along the northeast coast. It is believed to be the strongest ever to hit Australia, surpassing Cyclone Tracy which largely destroyed the northern city of Darwin in 1974.

"Once you get to extreme cases, you are in uncharted ground and the test data I have got I would not trust it if I had to live there myself," said Dr Robert Leicester, a researcher with the government's national scientific research body.

Leicester, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, has studied the impact of Australia's two previous worst cyclones, Tracy and Cyclone Larry in 2006.

"Of the cyclones up to now since Tracy, you have not really had a direct hit on places with a lot of housing," he said.

Building standards have been tightened significantly since Tracy killed 71 people and destroyed about 70 percent of the northern city of Darwin.

 

 

 

http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=57134

[thied]

It's too late to flee from Yasi: authorities

 

It's too late to get out of the path of the life-threatening Cyclone Yasi, which is powering towards the north Queensland coast with wind gusts as high as 290km/h.

Authorities are now telling residents in the impact zone the time for evacuating is over and they must "seek shelter wherever they are".

WATCH: Time lapse of Yasi's path

MAP: Areas under threat

 

The category five tropical cyclone is expected to hit the coast between Innisfail and Cardwell at 10pm tonight.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said people in the path of the storm should now have positioned themselves in a place of safety.

 

 

http://news.wwwdr01.ninemsn.com.au/national/yasi/8205337/its-too-late-to-flee-from-yasi-authorities

 

 

...........................

[thied]

Defence ready to send ships for Yasi recovery

DEFENCE stands ready to despatch transport ships to help in the cleanup after Cyclone Yasi.

A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Stephen Smith said Queensland officials had flagged a possible request for Navy heavy lift ships to support the community in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi.

Defence advised Mr Smith it was ready to respond should amphibious lift prove necessary.

The heavy landing ship HMAS Tobruk was to undergo maintenance work starting on Wednesday in order to be fully prepared to provide any such assistance after the cyclone.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/defence-ready-to-send-ships-for-yasi-recovery/story-fn7ik8u2-1225998895842

 

 

 

 

..............................

[thied]

The lastest radar from Townsville top and cairns bottom

 

 

 

[thied]

http://media.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/national-news/gillard-yasi-our-worst-cyclone-ever-2163618.html

 

Gillard: Yasi our worst cyclone ever (00:00)

 

full interview

 

 

 

 

......................

[thied]

web cams in townsville

http://www.townsvillestorms.com/townsvilleskycam.html

 

Sydney - The mammoth cyclone barreling towards Australia's northeast coast Wednesday lived up to its category-five billing by knocking out the equipment that meteorologist are using to predict its path and strength.

Officials said that when contact was lost with the Bureau of Meteorology's radar station on Willis Island, 450 kilometres east of Cairns in far-north Queensland, the wind speed recorded was 185 kilometres per hour.

Cyclone Yasi is expected to pack wind gusts of over 280 kilometers per hour when it hits land late Wednesday.

The four staff of the Willis Island station were evacuated

[thied]

Worst cyclone in memory looms off Qld

Thousands of north Queenslanders are hunkered down in shelters and homes waiting for the most powerful cyclone in nearly a century to slam into the coast south of Cairns.

Category five tropical Cyclone Yasi should make landfall between Innisfail and Cardwell around 11pm (AEST) on Wednesday, with authorities confident they have picked the spot within a 30km range of accuracy.

The cyclone is powered by winds of 295km/h, and gusts have already brought down trees, ruined weather monitoring equipment on Willis Island, off Cairns, and taken out power at Airlie Beach, Ayr and Townsville.

Full story at

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/worst-cyclone-in-memory-looms-off-qld-20110202-1acm6.html

……………………………..

[thied]

At 7pm 02/02/2011

[thied]

Innisfail is now expected to cop the brunt of Cyclone Yasi, just five years after the town was devastated by Cyclone Larry.

Projections by the Bureau of Meteorology now show the eye of the category five storm crossing just south of Innisfail some time around midnight. Yasi has slowed down slightly - from 32 to 29km/h - as it approaches the coast.

Authorities have recorded wind speeds of 295km/h and warned that storm surges of up to 7 metres could hit Cardwell, between Townsville and Cairns, as the cyclone’s expected arrival late tonight combines with a high tide.

http://www.watoday.com.au/environment/weather/innisfail-in-yasis-sights-just-five-years-after-larry-20110201-1acgp.html

 

 

I just saw on channel seven a dvd that was sent to them from the bulk carrier ss river bourne that is traveling north and is about 100 km south of the eye on the cyclone yasi, it may be on you tube if you find it its worth watching

 

 

 

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[thied]

Cyclone Yasi bears down on Far North Queensland

 

7:10pm - The devastating core of the storm is still hours away but early signs of devastation have started to belt parts of Far North Queensland as cyclone Yasi approaches the coast.

Cairns Mayor Val Schier said the worst of the storm lies in the eight hours ahead, but power outages and fallen branches have already been reported to authorities.

She said 150km/h winds were already lashing the city, power outages have been reported in Earlville, and tree branches have fallen near the disaster co-ordination centre in Woree.

Rolling cyclone coverage at twitter.com/cairnsnews/

Cairns prepares: Cyclone Yasi in picture

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/02/02/147535_cyclone.html

photo’s at

http://tools.cairns.com.au/photo_gallery/photo_gallery_popup.php?category_id=13345&offset=1

 

 

 

 

 

 

.............................................

[thied]

photos of townsville today

 

http://www.businessday.com.au/photogallery/environment/weather/yasi-moves-in-on-north-queensland/20110202-1acrd.html

[thied]

TOP PRIORITY

TROPICAL CYCLONE ADVICE NUMBER 21

Issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, Brisbane

Issued at 8:50pm EST on Wednesday the 2nd of February 2011

 

A Cyclone WARNING is current for coastal and island communities from Cape

Flattery to Sarina, extending west across the tropical interior to the Northern

Territory border.

 

At 9:00 pm EST Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, Category 5 was estimated to be 145

kilometres east southeast of Cairns and 110 kilometres east of Innisfail and

moving west southwest at 25 kilometres per hour.

 

THE VERY DESTRUCTIVE CORE OF CYCLONE YASI WILL CROSS THE COAST NEAR INNISFAIL

CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT, WITH A DANGEROUS STORM TIDE AND BATTERING WAVES SOUTH OF THE

CYCLONE CENTRE.

 

Tropical Cyclone Yasi, CATEGORY 5, will continue to move in a west-southwesterly

direction and is expected to cross the coast near Innisfail close to midnight.

 

Coastal residents between Cairns and Ayr are specifically warned of an EXTREMELY

DANGEROUS SEA LEVEL RISE [i.e. storm tide] as the cyclone approaches, crosses

the coast and moves inland.

 

Higher than normal tides will exceed the high water mark with damaging waves and

flooding in low lying areas in remaining warning areas to the south of Ayr.

 

VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with gusts up to 290 km/h are expected to develop between

Cairns and Ingham during the next few hours as the cyclone approaches. These

VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds will extend inland to the nearby ranges including the

Atherton Tablelands.

 

Due to the large size of the cyclone, people in the path of the VERY DESTRUCTIVE

WINDS are likely to experience these conditions for about 3 to 4 hours.

 

DESTRUCTIVE winds with gusts in excess of 125 km/h between Cape Tribulation and

Ayr are expected to spread inland overnight.

 

DAMAGING WINDS with gusts to 90 km/hr are occurring in remaining coastal areas

between Cape Flattery and Sarina, and are forecast to spread inland and west to

Mt Isa during Thursday.

 

Winds are forecast to gradually ease about the east coast during Thursday

morning as the cyclone moves inland.

 

FLOODING RAINS will develop from Cooktown to Sarina tonight and gradually extend

inland.

 

People in the path of the very dangerous cyclone should stay calm and remain in

a secure shelter, above the expected water level, while the very destructive

winds continue.

- Do not venture outside if you find yourself in the eye of the cyclone; very

destructive winds from a different direction could resume at any time.

- Follow the evacuation advice or directions of Police, Emergency Services

personnel and local authorities.

 

People in remaining areas between Cape Flattery and Sarina and extending west

across the tropical interior to the Northern Territory border, should complete

preparations quickly and be prepared to shelter in a safe place.

- Boats and outside property should be secured.

- For cyclone preparedness and safety advice, visit Queensland's Disaster

Management Services website [http://www.disaster.qld.gov.au]

- For emergency assistance call the Queensland State Emergency Service [sES] on

132 500 [for assistance with storm damage, rising flood water, fallen trees on

buildings or roof damage].

 

Details of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi at 9:00 pm EST:

.Centre located near...... 17.4 degrees South 147.1 degrees East

.Location accuracy........ within 20 kilometres

.Recent movement.......... towards the west southwest at 25 kilometres per hour

.Wind gusts near centre... 285 kilometres per hour

.Severity category........ 5

.Central pressure......... 930 hectoPascals

 

 

Please ensure that neighbours have heard and understood this message,

particularly new arrivals or those who may not fully understand English.