http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/scale-of-yasis-destruction-revealed-20110201-1acgp.html?from=smh_sb
Scale of Yasi's destruction revealed
* Hundreds of homes damaged
* Storm threat subsides, river levels rise
* Warning for western Queensland
* Early reports indicate no fatalities
Hundreds of homes have suffered major structural damage in Cardwell, Tully Heads and Mission Beach, the north Queensland communities hardest hit by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi overnight.
Queensland Emergency Service Minister Neil Roberts said initial aerial surveillance suggested 60 properties in the evacuated coastal town of Cardwell experienced major damage when the dangerous category-five storm crossed the coast around midnight last night.
A further 100 Cardwell properties sustained medium-level damage and 50 had minor damage. Mr Roberts said Mission Beach had 22 properties with major structural damage.
In Tully Heads, 21 properties had major damage, 19 had medium damage and 12 had minor damage, he said. The storm also inflicted major damage on about 70 boats in Port Hinchinbrook.
“I do want to stress, however, that this is aerial surveillance and until we get people on the ground making assessments property by property, they are preliminary assessments,” Mr Roberts told reporters early this afternoon.
“But I think that does give an indication that there is quite significant structural damage to properties, particularly in the area where the cyclone crossed the coast.”
He said authorities still had not been able to enter the communities of Silkwood, Halifax, Lucinda and Taylors Beach.
“As the day unfolds we will get people in there and get more of an impact,” he said.
Other communities were yet to be assessed from the air.
Storm threat subsides, river levels rise
Mr Roberts said a second storm surge of half a metre above the highest tide level that had affected Cairns and Townsville had passed.
“That was in excess of what occurred in many of those communities last night,” he said.
However, there were still concerns about flash flooding from heavy rain in areas such as Ingham and Giru.
Residents in Cairns and Townsville who fled their homes before the cyclone have been given the green light to return.
Debris and fallen powerlines are causing growing traffic jams along the Bruce Highway as evacuated north Queenslanders attempt to get to their houses.
Cairns avoided the worst of the category-five storm overnight but there were fears about the storm surge on today’s 9.30am high tide.
Because of the surge, the city’s evacuation centres had been kept in lockdown, but thousands of people have now been given the okay to leave.
Authorities are still surveying the damage around Cairns and residents are urged to stay off the roads over the coming days to keep them clear for emergency services, police say.
