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| Cyclone Debbie batters Queensland coast with 'howling winds, torrential rain' – live updates | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1.59am BST | |
| 01:59 | |
| Wind gusts have reached 263km/h at Hamilton Island | |
| Wind gusts have reached a staggering 263km/h at Hamilton Island, as the eye wall of Cyclone Debbie continues to move slowly through the Whitsundays. | |
| This footage from Instagram user Tarin Moloney gives a sense of what it’s like for those on the island right now. Moloney said the pressure from the wind was making her ears pop. | |
| Cyclone Debbie spam. The pressure from the wind is making our ears pop. #cyclonedebbie #hamiltonisland | |
| A post shared by Tarin (@tarinmoloney) on Mar 27, 2017 at 3:59pm PDT | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.00am BST | |
| 1.55am BST | |
| 01:55 | |
| Queensland Health has activated emergency operation centres and says hospitals remain open, despite the loss of power, including in Townsville and Mackay. | |
| 🌀 #TCDebbie update 🏥- Hospitals remain open incl. @TownsvilleHHS & @MackayHHS - Health Emergency Operations Centres have been activated. | |
| 1.45am BST | |
| 01:45 | |
| The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services deputy commissioner, Mark Roche, said he had not yet received reports of widespread structural devastation. But he said his staff will not go outside until the winds reduce to at least 80km/h. | |
| “We are seeing some of the footage coming from areas like Hamilton Island. A lot of wind, a lot of rain,” he told the ABC. | |
| “We do believe there will be significant structural damage, significant flooding. There will be electrical wires down and the community just need to ride out this storm.” | |
| Asked what reports he had from the popular tourist hub of Airlie Beach, Roche said: | |
| “What they are seeing is trees falling out or being uprooted. Some minor damage around their houses and property ... but the reality is this will be widespread and this will be across a very vast area and people just need to ride out the storm.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.48am BST | |
| 1.33am BST | |
| 01:33 | |
| Yachts moored off of Airlie Beach are already being pushed around by Cyclone Debbie, well before the most destructive winds are forecast. Channel 7 has just posted this footage of a yacht being pushed into the breakwater. | |
| Amazing footage of a yacht slamming into the breakwater wall at Airlie Beach, QLD #TCDebbie #sun7 pic.twitter.com/eVtPd6mQPq | |
| 1.29am BST | |
| 01:29 | |
| Police staffing triple-zero calls have told of increasingly panicked calls for help, according to AAP. | |
| One caller said the roof was lifting off an apartment building in the Whitsunday region. Another caller from the region is sheltering in the laundry of a home whose roof has caved in. | |
| We’re still several hours out from Cyclone Debbie’s landfall. Timing is fluid, but the cyclone continues to crawl south-west towards the coast at 6km/h. The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest forecast is for landfall about 2pm. At 10am local time, Debbie was about 75km east of Bowen and 50km north of Hamilton Island. | |
| The Bureau of Meteorology has just confirmed on radio the landfall time of #TCDebbie is likely to be around 2pm. | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.32am BST | |
| 1.23am BST | 1.23am BST |
| 01:23 | 01:23 |
| Powerlines are reportedly down in Mackay and police are pleading with residents to stay inside. Thousands of homes remain without power in the town. | Powerlines are reportedly down in Mackay and police are pleading with residents to stay inside. Thousands of homes remain without power in the town. |
| Power line across the road at Pollock Street in North Mackay #CycloneDebbie https://t.co/KzESJ8CLCJ | Power line across the road at Pollock Street in North Mackay #CycloneDebbie https://t.co/KzESJ8CLCJ |
| Mackay police are urging to STAY SHELTERED. Fallen powerlines are a hazard, many still LIVE. Please stay off the roads #CycloneDebbie | Mackay police are urging to STAY SHELTERED. Fallen powerlines are a hazard, many still LIVE. Please stay off the roads #CycloneDebbie |
| 1.15am BST | 1.15am BST |
| 01:15 | 01:15 |
| Debris is flying through the air in Airlie Beach. AAP photographer, Dan Peled, said the power is also out. | Debris is flying through the air in Airlie Beach. AAP photographer, Dan Peled, said the power is also out. |
| “We just had a branch fly into our window,” Peled said from his room at a local hotel. “We’ve got howling winds, torrential rain. The trees are sideways. There’s lots of vegetation debris and there’s a bit of water in the hallway. We’re just looking at a wall of white with the trees, we can’t see much. It’s full on.” | “We just had a branch fly into our window,” Peled said from his room at a local hotel. “We’ve got howling winds, torrential rain. The trees are sideways. There’s lots of vegetation debris and there’s a bit of water in the hallway. We’re just looking at a wall of white with the trees, we can’t see much. It’s full on.” |
| Palm trees getting a good workout in #airliebeach from #CycloneDebbie @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/Stufl945eY | Palm trees getting a good workout in #airliebeach from #CycloneDebbie @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/Stufl945eY |
| 1.10am BST | 1.10am BST |
| 01:10 | 01:10 |
| Large waves are being recorded across the far north Queensland coast. Waves of up to eight metres were recorded by buoys off Mackay overnight. WeatherZone said that had only happened three times in the site’s history. | Large waves are being recorded across the far north Queensland coast. Waves of up to eight metres were recorded by buoys off Mackay overnight. WeatherZone said that had only happened three times in the site’s history. |
| #BlacksBeach at #Mackay is getting a thrashing - with sea foam being thrown around the banks. #TCDebbie @qclnews pic.twitter.com/cqzz0L6fLW | #BlacksBeach at #Mackay is getting a thrashing - with sea foam being thrown around the banks. #TCDebbie @qclnews pic.twitter.com/cqzz0L6fLW |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.13am BST | at 1.13am BST |
| 1.00am BST | 1.00am BST |
| 01:00 | 01:00 |
| Australian Red Cross volunteers are supporting residents at shelters in Bowen and Townsville. The Red Cross is also working with the Queensland government to support those affected by the cyclone and has launched its Register.Find.Reunite service, which will help connect friends and family during and after the cyclone. State director, Leisa Bourne, said: | Australian Red Cross volunteers are supporting residents at shelters in Bowen and Townsville. The Red Cross is also working with the Queensland government to support those affected by the cyclone and has launched its Register.Find.Reunite service, which will help connect friends and family during and after the cyclone. State director, Leisa Bourne, said: |
| “We’re asking everyone in cyclone-affected areas to do three important things: stay safe, let people know where you are, and look out for your neighbours.” | “We’re asking everyone in cyclone-affected areas to do three important things: stay safe, let people know where you are, and look out for your neighbours.” |
| #TCDebbie: fairly sleepless night in Bowen Shelter where volunteers Vaurian and Danielle are looking after 270 folks sleeping on the floor pic.twitter.com/Fz0HFlj3KS | #TCDebbie: fairly sleepless night in Bowen Shelter where volunteers Vaurian and Danielle are looking after 270 folks sleeping on the floor pic.twitter.com/Fz0HFlj3KS |
| We’re supporting 148 ppl in Bowen Cyclone Shelter and 21 in Townsville Cyclone Shelter right now as residents seek safety from #TCDebbie pic.twitter.com/zng7CuHlGQ | We’re supporting 148 ppl in Bowen Cyclone Shelter and 21 in Townsville Cyclone Shelter right now as residents seek safety from #TCDebbie pic.twitter.com/zng7CuHlGQ |
| 12.48am BST | 12.48am BST |
| 00:48 | 00:48 |
| The James Cook University’s cyclone testing station is seeking to learn from Cyclone Bettie. | The James Cook University’s cyclone testing station is seeking to learn from Cyclone Bettie. |
| The centre’s director, David Henderson, said his staff had placed wind measurement devices on homes up and down the coast, to test how the buildings cope with long-lasting, turbulent conditions. | The centre’s director, David Henderson, said his staff had placed wind measurement devices on homes up and down the coast, to test how the buildings cope with long-lasting, turbulent conditions. |
| Researchers are continually learning from cyclones and improving building standards. After Cyclone Yasi in 2011, researchers realised that garage doors needed to be more resistant to damaging winds. | Researchers are continually learning from cyclones and improving building standards. After Cyclone Yasi in 2011, researchers realised that garage doors needed to be more resistant to damaging winds. |
| “I guess there’s always things to learn,” Henderson told the ABC. | “I guess there’s always things to learn,” Henderson told the ABC. |
| “Say, after Cyclone Yasi, we worked with the industry and got some changes in there on garage doors, so now there’s legislated that garage doors in cyclone regions have to be cyclone-safe,” he said. | “Say, after Cyclone Yasi, we worked with the industry and got some changes in there on garage doors, so now there’s legislated that garage doors in cyclone regions have to be cyclone-safe,” he said. |
| “[There] may be other things coming out of this one as well.” | “[There] may be other things coming out of this one as well.” |
| Daniel McMahon sent in this pic of the view at Hamilton Island #CycloneDebbie pic.twitter.com/M9hkWUjEzZ | Daniel McMahon sent in this pic of the view at Hamilton Island #CycloneDebbie pic.twitter.com/M9hkWUjEzZ |
| 12.37am BST | 12.37am BST |
| 00:37 | 00:37 |
| Joshua Robertson | Joshua Robertson |
| Tony Fontes is a dive tourism operator in Airlie Beach who lives about 500m from the ocean “but you can’t see it”. | Tony Fontes is a dive tourism operator in Airlie Beach who lives about 500m from the ocean “but you can’t see it”. |
| “It’s a whiteout. You can’t see much, just a lot of rain.” | “It’s a whiteout. You can’t see much, just a lot of rain.” |
| Fontes said he expected Cyclone Debbie would be a mixed development for the Great Barrier Reef. | Fontes said he expected Cyclone Debbie would be a mixed development for the Great Barrier Reef. |
| Coral would locally be damaged but the stir of water would cool sea surface temperatures currently causing mass bleaching across the broader reef. | Coral would locally be damaged but the stir of water would cool sea surface temperatures currently causing mass bleaching across the broader reef. |
| “Locally we’ve seen cyclone damage to the reef before and it is awful,” he said. | “Locally we’ve seen cyclone damage to the reef before and it is awful,” he said. |
| “Locally it’s a disaster but reef-wide it’s a good thing – I guess that’s the best way to look at it.” | “Locally it’s a disaster but reef-wide it’s a good thing – I guess that’s the best way to look at it.” |
| Bunkering down from the cyclone was “very exciting – actually it is bloody scary”, he said. Lots of large tree branches crashing on the house roof and steadily rising water.” | Bunkering down from the cyclone was “very exciting – actually it is bloody scary”, he said. Lots of large tree branches crashing on the house roof and steadily rising water.” |
| The debris was all vegetation so far, Fontes said: “We’ve got some very large gum trees in the area and the tops are all snapping off and coming down.” | The debris was all vegetation so far, Fontes said: “We’ve got some very large gum trees in the area and the tops are all snapping off and coming down.” |
| Power had been out since around 11pm on Monday and the Telstra landline phone and National Broadband Network followed, Fontes said. | Power had been out since around 11pm on Monday and the Telstra landline phone and National Broadband Network followed, Fontes said. |
| He was passing the time with a torch and a puzzle, between periodic dashes outside to clear debris to stop flooding around his house. | He was passing the time with a torch and a puzzle, between periodic dashes outside to clear debris to stop flooding around his house. |
| “You just get tired of looking out the window and then about every two hours you run outside and clear the debris away so the water can keep flowing – and then you look out the window again.” | “You just get tired of looking out the window and then about every two hours you run outside and clear the debris away so the water can keep flowing – and then you look out the window again.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.15am BST | at 1.15am BST |
| 12.33am BST | 12.33am BST |
| 00:33 | 00:33 |
| Vision continues to emerge from Hamilton Island, which is being hit by wind gusts of more than 200km/h. Visitors to the popular tourist destination largely get around on golf buggies. This video, from Twitter user Elisa Clements, shows a buggy flipped by the destructive winds. | Vision continues to emerge from Hamilton Island, which is being hit by wind gusts of more than 200km/h. Visitors to the popular tourist destination largely get around on golf buggies. This video, from Twitter user Elisa Clements, shows a buggy flipped by the destructive winds. |
| Golf buggy down +200km wind #hamiltonisland #cyclonedebbie pic.twitter.com/wB3balxycT | Golf buggy down +200km wind #hamiltonisland #cyclonedebbie pic.twitter.com/wB3balxycT |
| 12.28am BST | 12.28am BST |
| 00:28 | 00:28 |
| Almost 400 schools and childcare centres in far north Queensland have been closed.The state government said 131 state schools, 49 Catholic and independent schools, and 211 early childhood centres have shut their doors from north of Townsville to south of Proserpine. | Almost 400 schools and childcare centres in far north Queensland have been closed.The state government said 131 state schools, 49 Catholic and independent schools, and 211 early childhood centres have shut their doors from north of Townsville to south of Proserpine. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.16am BST | at 1.16am BST |
| 12.25am BST | 12.25am BST |
| 00:25 | 00:25 |
| I mentioned early that Hamilton Island had experienced wind gusts of 222km/h. Let’s put that in perspective. Hamilton Island has not experienced winds that strong for 15 years, according to Fairfax’s WeatherZone. | I mentioned early that Hamilton Island had experienced wind gusts of 222km/h. Let’s put that in perspective. Hamilton Island has not experienced winds that strong for 15 years, according to Fairfax’s WeatherZone. |
| Hamilton Island's wind gust of 222km/h at 8:12am is their strongest in at least 15 years #CycloneDebbie | Hamilton Island's wind gust of 222km/h at 8:12am is their strongest in at least 15 years #CycloneDebbie |
| 12.14am BST | 12.14am BST |
| 00:14 | 00:14 |
| 23,000 homes without power as Cyclone Debbie approaches | 23,000 homes without power as Cyclone Debbie approaches |
| There is further information to hand about power outages along the coast. Ergon Energy says that 23,000 homes are now without power, mostly in Mackay and the Whitsundays. More homes will lose power as the cyclone makes landfall. | There is further information to hand about power outages along the coast. Ergon Energy says that 23,000 homes are now without power, mostly in Mackay and the Whitsundays. More homes will lose power as the cyclone makes landfall. |
| Ergon Energy’s communications manager, John Fowler, said power would not be restored today. He said it was difficult to estimate when power may return. | Ergon Energy’s communications manager, John Fowler, said power would not be restored today. He said it was difficult to estimate when power may return. |
| “Depends on the extent of damage to our network, where the damage is, and our ability to access the damage to make repairs and get that power back on,” Fowler said. | “Depends on the extent of damage to our network, where the damage is, and our ability to access the damage to make repairs and get that power back on,” Fowler said. |
| “But we certainly wouldn’t expect any power restoration today, given the cyclonic winds and it is simply too dangerous to get our crews out there to even look at restoration work.” | “But we certainly wouldn’t expect any power restoration today, given the cyclonic winds and it is simply too dangerous to get our crews out there to even look at restoration work.” |
| You can find out more about the affected areas here. | You can find out more about the affected areas here. |
| Bowen, pictured below, still has power for the most part. | Bowen, pictured below, still has power for the most part. |
| 8:35 am. Picking up... slowly. Winds strong but not destructive yet in #Bowen. 986 mb & finally dropping! #Cyclone #DEBBIE pic.twitter.com/FGoAWxz00l | 8:35 am. Picking up... slowly. Winds strong but not destructive yet in #Bowen. 986 mb & finally dropping! #Cyclone #DEBBIE pic.twitter.com/FGoAWxz00l |