Cyclone hits Australia

[Sojiita]

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) Tropical Cyclone Larry slammed into the northeastern coast of Australia Monday, causing widespread power outages and injuring around a dozen people.

At noon Monday, (0100 GMT), the Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported the storm was a category three cyclone with top winds of 180 km/h (110 mph).

It was centered about 100 kilometers west of Innisfail, in the Australian state of Queensland. Larry was moving to the west at 25-30 km/h. Despite the weakening, Larry still packed gusts of up to 220 km/h, forecasters reported.

Earlier Monday, the cyclone hit Australia as a category five storm -- the strongest rating possible. The eye hit Innisfail with gusts up to 290 kilometers per hour (180 mph) at about 7:30 a.m. (2030 Sunday GMT), according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.

Top sustained winds at landfall were at 190 km/h (120 mph), but gusts up to 300 km/h were reported, Craig Burke, a forecaster at the airport in Cairns, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Innisfail.

"The reports that we've been receiving through the morning have been quite devastating, actually, with lots of roof and structural damage throughout the community," Burke said.

Widespread power outages were reported as well, he said.

About a dozen people had been reported with minor injuries, Jim Guthrie, a spokesman for Queensland state's health department, told The Associated Press.

"This is far north Queensland and most people live with cyclones year in year out. They do take precautions," he said. "We've come out of it extremely well."

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued ahead of the storm, and most residents moved to safety "well in advance," said Katheryn Ryan, a spokesperson for Queensland's State Emergency Services office.

Emergency crews reached the area late Monday morning and began assessing the damage, Ryan said.

The storm also devastated the region's multimillion-dollar banana and sugar farming industry, a local official told The Associated Press.

*thought I would throw this in as Australia doesn't seem to get alot of news..at least posted on this forum*

[A*O]

This part of Queensland isn't highly populated but Aussies are pretty stoic anyway. Most of the locals had stocked up on food, candles, torches and batteries and locked themselves down in the preferred Aussie 'cyclone shelter', and old metal cargo shipping container. It's perfect. Solid metal, heavy, water tight, cheap. All hell can break loose outside and you are snug as a bug in one of those suckers. No fatalities reported (so far) but there is another cyclone cranking up so maybe they should stay locked down in their containers for a while yet.

[Sojiita]

Well if y'all need help we can always send Bush and his cronies to help out..they are so good at handling these kind of things...

[deckchick]

My youngest son is a videographer on a P & O ship out of Sidney, I knew something was up when it stayed in port overnight. I hope everyone out there is safe!

[sweetrebel]

What's the difference in a hurricane and a cyclone?

[Sojiita]

The name only really..and instead of counter-clockwise the winds blow clockwise.

[A*O]

Hurricanes in the northerern hemisphere (anti-clockwise)
Cyclones in the southern hemisphere (clockwise)
(same principle as the toilet flushing in the opposite direction down here!)

As far as I know there have been no fatalities but the damage to property is fairly extreme (it was a Category 5). Luckily we don't have FEMA here to screw things up so everyone is doing just fine thanks!

[Lani]

I was really worried, have an uncle in cairns but it didnt hit them hard (thank god). On of my brothers friends is in the fruit industry up there too but was informed by his family that he's okay, pissed that he's lost his job though.

I think thats going to be the biggest devestation. 200 million dollars worth of crops absolutely destroyed. They're saying that the banana and sugar cane industries up there are going to take years to get back what they've lost. Lost jobs, Lost tourisum due to the fact that the only reason why backpackers go up there is the good fast money being fruit pickers.

[Sojiita]

Originally Posted by A*O

Hurricanes in the northerern hemisphere (anti-clockwise)
Cyclones in the southern hemisphere (clockwise)
(same principle as the toilet flushing in the opposite direction down here!)

As far as I know there have been no fatalities but the damage to property is fairly extreme (it was a Category 5). Luckily we don't have FEMA here to screw things up so everyone is doing just fine thanks!

Are ya sure? We can always send "Brownie" down there if ya need him.

[A*O]

I hope cheray is OK - she's in Cairns which is pretty close to all this.