North Queensland battens down as tropical cyclone Dylan gathers speed

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/30/orth-queensland

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A tropical storm moving towards the north Queensland coast has been upgraded to a cyclone.

The declared category one cyclone, called Dylan, is expected to make landfall between Lucinda and Proserpine in the early hours of Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology (Bom) said the cyclone was about 235km north-east of Townsville and 290km north of Proserpine at 1pm (AEST).

It was moving at 14km/h in a south-westerly direction towards the coast.

The cyclone threatens to bring dangerous storm tides, heavy rain and gusts of up to 120km/h.

Already strong winds have seen boats ripped from their moorings and washed up on beaches.

But a king tide that is forecast to combine with a storm surge on Friday morning is causing the most concern.

Coastal residents between Lucinda and St Lawrence are bracing themselves for the dangerous storm tide.

The Bom warned the sea was likely to rise steadily up to a level well above the normal tide, with damaging waves and flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline.

"Large waves may produce minor flooding along the foreshore," its advice said.

Heavy rain, which may lead to flash flooding, was also expected to develop along the coast.

Storm surges at high tide caused minor flooding in central Townsville and Cairns on Thursday morning.

Sandbags were piled up around the Townsville Yacht Club.

A chef said she noticed roads surrounding the club were inundated with sea water when she arrived at work about 4am (AEST).

The water had since receded.

Sand collection spots were set up in Townsville and Mackay.

Mackay's local disaster management group was activated on Thursday afternoon.

The approaching cyclone disrupted flights out of Whitsunday and Townsville.

The Queensland premier, Campbell Newman, will fly to Townsville as the storm barrels towards the north Queensland city.

Newman is expected to board a flight to the city on Thursday afternoon, where he will be briefed on the cyclone.

"I want to show my solidarity with people of far north Queensland and I want to make sure that the government is getting the right feedback and information about the situation," the premier said in Brisbane.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said people in the area should be battening down.

Commissioner Lee Johnson said residents, unless told to evacuate, should seek shelter in their homes until the cyclone had passed.

In the event of an evacuation order, residents should seek shelter with family or friends who lived further inland or on higher ground, he said.

Some flights out of Whitsunday Coast airport were reportedly cancelled and a Townsville Airport spokeswoman said some flights might be rescheduled on Thursday afternoon, although the airport remained open.

Passengers were urged to contact their airlines for information about possible disruptions.

Further south, Mackay regional council was urging residents to stock up on sandbags and opened three sandbag collection spots in the city.