source : the age
Evacuations have started and the luxury Lizard Island Resort has been shut down as a cyclone that threatens to intensify into category 5 storm bears down on the Far North Queensland coast.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which could be one of the biggest cyclones “in living memory”, is barrelling towards the Queensland coast at 18km/h.
The destructive cyclone is tipped to cross the coast near Coen, about 500 kilometres north of Port Douglas, early on Friday, unleashing winds of up to 225km/h that could tear roofs off houses and propel debris at potentially fatal speeds.
“This may be the biggest system that many people have seen in living memory,” Queensland Premier David Crisafulli warned on Wednesday.
“The situation is evolving. It’s a serious situation, and the window to act is obviously closing.”
It is the third system to impact the sodden Queensland region in barely two months after two lows struck, causing widespread flooding.
Narelle is the biggest to hit the far north since category 4 system Cyclone Debbie devastated the Whitsundays in 2017, causing billions of dollars in damage.
Last year, ex-tropical cyclone Alfred crossed the coast just north of Brisbane on March 8.
More than 100 emergency personnel, including swift water rescue teams and 49 police officers from Brisbane and Cairns, have been deployed north as locals batten down the hatches.
“This is not the opportunity for you to be outside during the cyclone, getting that TikTok moment – do not do it,” state disaster coordinator Chris Stream said.
“A piece of debris being propelled at over 100km/h will kill you.”
Lizard Island Resort has been effectively shut down and emptied, the premier said, with 10 people remaining who were sheltering in a “strengthened area”.
Four people have also been evacuated from Port Stewart, located on the mainland near Coen.
Crisafulli urged other residents in the region to also consider evacuating on Wednesday.
“The best time to move is today,” he said.
He said there was a “real prospect that it will remain a cyclone as it crosses what is a very narrow part of the state”.
Senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said the storm would cross over a period of about 12 hours, and was expected to strengthen.
Johnson said she would be “very surprised” if the cyclone significantly weakened, given the weather conditions currently feeding the system.
Another senior bureau meteorologist Jonathan How said heavy rainfall was also expected, causing flash flooding and a dangerous storm tide.
“As the system crosses on Friday morning we are expecting those very destructive wind gusts of more than 225km/h,” he said.
“We are expecting to see property damage, roofs being torn off houses and businesses as well as trees being stripped and power lines cut down.”
Wind gusts up to 155km/h could start buffeting coastal towns between Coen and Cooktown from as early as Thursday night.
Modelling had earlier indicated the cyclone could “wobble a bit” as it approached the coast, but Johnson said uncertainty in the system’s track now centred on its path from east to west, which would affect how quickly the storm moved to the coastline.
“Our modelling that’s come in overnight has slowed it a little bit, so it’s pushing it more towards it being well into Friday,” Johnson said.
“The earliest that we’d be expecting it might reach the coast would be Thursday afternoon or evening.
