Australia's Queensland state as officials warned a looming monster
cyclone could be "deadly" in a region already ravaged by flooding.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, packing winds of more than 250
kilometres (160 miles) per hour, was due to collide with the populous
and resort-strewn coast late Wednesday or early Thursday, bringing
with it a treacherous storm surge and heavy rains.
Patients in a waterfront hospital in the tourist hub of Cairns faced
evacuation to other cities, while officials urged residents in coastal
areas to leave home immediately as the storm gathers strength over the
Coral Sea.
"This is a dangerous, serious threat," warned Queensland Premier Anna
Bligh. "This is potentially a deadly storm and we need to take it
absolutely seriously.
"If you are in a low-lying or waterfront area in the danger zone and
beyond you need to relocate yourself and your family to safety," she
said, adding that mandatory evacuations would likely be ordered later
Tuesday.
Yasi is expected to reach a severe category four on a five-point scale
by the time it makes landfall and will likely eclipse Cyclone Larry --
a 2006 storm that wrought up to Aus$1.5 billion in damage -- in both
intensity and size.
Meteorologists said the storm would likely hit between Cairns and the
town of Innisfail, but warned that its winds and rains may be felt up
to 500 kilometres away.
"I think... we need to prepare for the eventuality of something really
significant heading into areas that may not have seen this before,"
meteorologist Gordon Banks told public broadcaster ABC.
Airlines on Tuesday put on additional flights to far north Queensland
to evacuate thousands of residents and tourists from the region before
wild winds force the closure of airports as early as Wednesday
morning.
Holidaymakers in the tourist paradise of Hamilton Island in the
Whitsundays chain were abandoning the white beaches and evacuating
their plush suites before flying to safety.
"We have asked our guests and residents to postpone the remainder of
their holidays and we are helping them to arrange their flights out,"
Jill Collins of the Hamilton Island resort told AFP.
"The main thing is the safety of our guests, staff and residents. We
hope for the best but have to prepare or the worst at time like this."
Queensland is still reeling from a record deluge and floods that have
destroyed tens of thousands of homes and killed more than 30 people
since December.
"I know that many of us will feel that Queensland has borne about as
much as we can bear when it comes to disasters and storms, but more is
being asked of us and I am confident that we are able rise to the
challenge," Bligh said.
