Cyclone Larry - Hingehead Are You Okay?

just saw this on the news myself, was trying to remember who was from cairns

hope all is well down under

Thanks for the alert, lezzles and dj.

Hoping for good news. edgarblythe

Just shot an email off to Msolga. Maybe she will know something.

Just heard the news on the radio.

Hoping hingehead and everyone in the vicinity are safe.

Oh man. Sending hopes out that everyone's OK.

Hey, hinge! Take good care, OK?

We want to hear from you, Hingehead!

Last Updated:Monday, March 20, 2006. 11:00am (AEDT)

Damage widespread as cyclone moves inland

There is widespread damage across far north Queensland as cyclone Larry moves inland after crossing the coast this morning.

Gale force winds have uprooted trees, lifted roofs of houses and flattened crops.

Larry's eye has passed over Innisfail, south of Cairns and the winds are intensifying again.

Many homes in the community of Kurramine Beach, south-east of Innisfail, have been severely damaged.

Yvonne Cavey from the local motel said she cannot see a tree left standing in the town.

"There's two houses behind the motel, what we can see, the sheds are gone and the house on our left is only a shell," she said.

Innisfail motel owner Amanda Fitzpatrick said it looked like an atomic bomb had gone off.

"I live across the road from the river that had huge big trees, they've all just been uprooted and flattened," she said.

"It looks like something has just gone through and cut down everything - just ripped things out of the ground, it's just flattened".

Millions of dollars worth of crops like cane, banana and pawpaw, have been wiped out.

Murdering Point cane farmer Alf Strano said he expected to lose his entire crop.

"It's terrible actually just looking out the window," he said.

"It's as flat as, it couldn't get any flatter."

Larry is now heading west inland.

Queensland's Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell said the Prime Minister has pledged every assistance in the face of the cyclone.

He said the military is on stand-by, including Blackhawk helicopters based at Hughenden.

"We're going to have a fly-over of some F-111s up and down the coast to get some pictures ... as soon as the rain passes and we can see and then we'll make a decision on where we go with the Blackhawks and what assets we move back in there," he said.

Greg Connor from the Bureau of Meteorology's Townsville office said although the cyclone had been downgraded it was still not safe for residents to go outside.

"The cyclone has reduced to a category four and we do expect it to weaken a bit further during the day as it moves westward towards the Tablelands," he said.

"It's still a dangerous situation, it's still a strong cyclone and there's some heavy rain coming into the region."

Premier Peter Beattie was warned that the worst of the cyclone may be yet to come.

Mr Beattie, who is in north Queensland for a Cabinet meeting, said the Bruce Highway has also been cut in parts.

However, Mr Beattie said more damage was expected as the heavy winds buffet the coast. ... <cont>

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1595732.htm

Thanks for the update, msolga.

Cape Tribulation! Ha!

Yes, thank you, msolga. I know how those folks must feel.

Oh, I'll bet you do, Letty!

Hey Hinge, bit windy up your way I hear. hope you came out of it ok.

Ahh Queensland..... beautifull one day.................... windy the next.



Captn Cook beached at Cape tribulation to fix the hole the reef tore in the Endevour. (I think. I cant be bothered looking it up because the Chinese were here hundreds of years before Cook anyway.)

Yikes!

And Wati is following ... ...

Gawd. Here's a pic of the devastation, courtesy of CNN:

Also per CNN, "Top sustained winds at landfall were at 190 kph, but gusts up to 300 kph were reported..."

Wishing safety for hingehead and all our friends in Queensland.