There's a storm coming....!

Vorsprung

Bit of rain crossed over Townsville last night, but Yasi is on the horizon, forecasted to be a Category 4



This is Yasi in the middle of the picture:



To the right of the image is another system, forecasted to hit SEQ at the end of the week.

Storm tax anyone?!?!? :eek::eek:

The Sweeper

Fingers crossed she veers off and doesn't hit the coast, or loses power and hits ground as a cat 1. Anyone in NQ batton down the hatches and don't take any chances!!

The Sweeper

Seriously, though, anyone in the path of Yasi, the statewide emergency services are issuing evacuation warnings - both by text and in phone recorded messages. This isn't a joke. Best that could happen, you clear out south or inland and Yasi peters out or diverts and you just go home again. Worst that could happen, you stay and Yasi crosses the coast as a category four cyclone and wipes the building you're in off the map - and you with it.

If you're in the region where she's due to come in, I'd strongly advise you to think through your plan - and if you don't have a plan - GET ONE!

Mahatma coat

I'd be fair Pissed off if I lived in Innisfail Still, they only just finished rebuilding our old house after LArry, and now it looks like this one is taking the same path, Still tho, we'll get to see if they Cyclone proofed the Place this time.

uglyjohn

good luck to anyone in the area. it looks pretty serious.

red menace

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml

Remarks:
SEVERE TC YASI IS A LARGE AND VERY POWERFUL TROPICAL CYCLONE AND POSES AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY WITHIN THE WARNING AREA, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN CAIRNS AND TOWNSVILLE.

THIS IMPACT IS LIKELY TO BE MORE LIFE THREATENING THAN ANY EXPERIENCED DURING RECENT GENERATIONS.

TC Yasi, CATEGORY 5, will continue to move in a west-southwesterly direction during the day. The cyclone is expected to cross the coast in the Innisfail area at about midnight.

Coastal residents within the warning area, and particularly 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. The sea is likely to steadily rise up to a level which will be VERY DANGEROUSLY above the normal tide, with EXTREMELY DAMAGING WAVES, STRONG CURRENTS and FLOODING of low-lying areas extending some way inland. People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible, and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by authorities.

DAMAGING WINDS with gusts to 90 km/hr that are currently developing on coastal islands, are forecast to develop about the coast by late morning and about the tropical interior overnight.

Between Cape Tribulation and Ingham these winds will become DESTRUCTIVE with gusts in excess of 125km/hr during the afternoon and early evening and VERY DESTRUCTIVE with gusts up to 300 km/hr between Cairns and Ingham during the evening as the cyclone approaches and crosses the coast. These VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds can also occur on the seaward side of hills to the north of the cyclone and are also forecast to reach the Atherton Tablelands.

Winds are forecast to ease about the east coast during Thursday morning as the cyclone moves inland.

FLOODING RAINS will develop from Cooktown to Sarina during the afternoon and then extend inland overnight.
People between Cape Melville and Sarina, extending inland to Croydon and Richmond 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 (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).

People about the remaining tropical interior east of Camooweal and north of Winton should consider what action they will need to take if the cyclone threat increases.
- Information is available from your local government
- For cyclone preparedness and safety advice, visit Queensland's Disaster Management Services website (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).

Upgraded to cat 5, stay safe everyone

The Sweeper

Cannot believe Yasi's made cat 5. Had hoped she'd downgrade to cat 3 before hitting the coast. Waiting for the horrendous fallout is so sad.

I think I've posted something similar to this before, but anyway.

Since I moved to Australia, four years ago in April coming, I have experienced:

Drought
The worst bushfires in living memory
The end of the drought
The enormous increase in mosquitoes, frogs and then snakes that resulted from the torrential and neverending rain that marked the end of the drought
A plague of locusts
Hitherto-unseen inland flash flooding
The submerging of Brisbane
And now the worst cyclone in the history of the country is on the doorstep of FNQ.
The coldest temperatures I've experienced are sub-zero in winter. The hottest has been 47 degrees in summer.

...this country is biblical.

Xavi6

This is going to be insane. Good luck to anyone in the region.

Doc

Mother Nature is kicking Queensland’s ass this year!

Hope everyone is ready now and safe and well when it ends.

Mellor

so basically, the Sydney/NSW vrs. Melbourne/Vic debate rages on, but queensland hasn't a leg to stand on anymore :D:D

Xavi6

How big it actually is in comparison to the States -



Going to be an insane night.

myhorse

God bless everyone in the area. This will be horrific.

Zambia

Stay safe ....best of luck

Doc

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR191.loop.shtml#skip

Xavi6

I've got Sky News on and the reporter is about an hour from the main hotspots and the wind is unreal.

greenprincess

My heart and prayers go out to everyone over there x

Dave!

Any live videos of what's goin on?

Pretty scary

Ozeire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MrZRCAfKS8

Ozeire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5249Z1FXDc0

Ozeire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWewtKh_hFk

Face to face with Yasi

Michael McKenna reports as Cyclone Yasi bears down on the town of Innisfail. Vision: Lyndon Mechielsen

thebuzz

Any links of any live webcams that are still functioning in the areas affected? Any of the ones I found are down...which is obviously understandable but just wondering if anyone found one still working?

goat2

how is this storm now, has the worst come, or is it yet to come, hope everyone safe

The Sweeper

Yasi has moved past coastal towns and is now downgraded to a category 2 cyclone (still a bad weather storm). Reports coming in from towns affected say no loss of life reported yet, and no serious injury - but plenty of roofless houses, a lot of storm surge flooding, vegetation looks like it's been put through a shredder (imagine some areas show every leaf blown off every plant as far as you can see).

The full extent of the damage is unknown - it's not yet safe enough to send up aircraft for aerial photography, and roads are flooded or covered in felled trees, so it'll be many more hours before the pictures begin to properly take shape.

The issue now is the extent of the damage and the duration of the problem - 175,000 homes are without power, and until they figure out the extent of the damage that has caused that outage, they can't predict when the power will come back on.

Still, they were well prepared and the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, has spearheaded the organisation of state emergency services (SES) and the army to mobilise into the affected areas as soon as it is safe to do so.

I was awake and checking the news at 4am local time (3am Qld) and the ABC were carrying a story about six folk in their sixties in an apartment block who had chosen not to evacuate, but who ended up calling the emergency services because the storm surge (for anyone wondering, the storm surge is the increase in sea level that causes the sea to inundate beachfront and low-lying properties - the surge drains away in a matter of hours or days, but can be very, very damaging) was higher than they expected.

The emergency services had to tell the six of them 'No help is coming' and advise them to get up as high in the apartment block as they could. From what I can tell they moved to the highest floor, which was only two stories up (possibly third-floor height if the block was on columns) but the storm surge was due to reach the height of the floor area of that level. I have no idea what the outcome was for them.

The Sweeper

ooo, update:

Six confirmed safe at Port Hinchinbrook
Updated 10 minutes ago

Six people who called police last night from Port Hinchinbrook in far north Queensland during Cyclone Yasi are safe and well.

Cyclone Yasi crossed the north Queensland coast around Mission Beach, south of Cairns, about midnight (AEST) as a severe category five storm.

Tropical Cyclone Yasi was downgraded to a category two system this morning.

A group of desperate people in their 60s called for emergency assistance last night as the storm surge whipped up by Cyclone Yasi closed in on their unit.

But authorities told the group to bunker down for a terrifying night.

Deputy Police Commissioner said last night the six people, holed up in a Port Hinchinbrook unit complex, did not evacuate and it was too late for emergency services to rescue them.

Ozeire

Gutted - the return to broken streets after Cyclone Yasi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVEXMUyieE

How much more can these guys take so feckn unfair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSgTaghtYWE

First no rain for years then enough rain for floods and then your house that was flooded gets blown away . I hope this is all they will have to put up with for years to come as they have had enough done to them .

Feelgood

I just got off the phone with a friend living in northern Queensland, which is bearing the full brunt of Cyclone Yasi. He said that since early this morning the flood has been nearly waist high and rain is still belting down.The temperature is soaring and the wind has increased to near gale force.His wife has done nothing for hours but look straight through the kitchen window, and just stare.
He says that if it gets much worse he may have to let her in!

Vorsprung

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find it really hard to apreciate the level of damage until choppers get in and take aerial pictures.

The Sweeper

This might help

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/cyclone-yasi-pictures/

whyulittle

The Sweeper wrote: »

This might help

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/cyclone-yasi-pictures/

A house in Mourilyan which had been seperated into two sections was badly damaged as Cyclone Yasi passed over.

:eek: Badly damaged, it's been split in two!!