Schools, ports closed as Cyclone Debbie advances towards north Qld coast

Toby Crockford
Published: March 26, 2017 - 6:29PM

Schools between Ayr and Proserpine will be closed on Monday as Tropical Cyclone Debbie intensifies and heads towards the north Queensland coast.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said further school closures would be likely due to conditions associated with the cyclone.

As north Queensland battened down ahead of the cyclone's expected landfall on Tuesday, the Bureau of Meteorology said Tropical Cyclone Debbie was the most significant since Cyclone Yasi in 2011 in both "size and extent." 

Ms Palaszczuk said charter boats along the coast had been secured, ports closed and people on islands have been told to seek shelter. Those on remote islands with no adequate shelter to withstand the cyclone have been urged to evacuate.

She also said the possibility of a tidal surge was being monitored, with evacuations possible depending on when and where the cyclone crosses the coast.

Emergency services said preparation was essential and warned residents to do it on Sunday because Monday maybe too late. This included cleaning-up and securing items around the home as well as organising an emergency plan, with evacuations possible.

They also advised locals to not travel on the roads once the wild weather started to minimise risk to both themselves and emergency service crews.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Katarina Carroll said "substantial emergency services" had been deployed across the region and was confident they were ready to respond immediately, but warned locals not to be complacent.

An extra 1000 emergency services personal were sent to the affected area, while more than 800 power workers were also ready to go in north Queensland and a further 200 were on the way.

On Sunday afternoon, Virgin Australia announced it had cancelled all flights in and out of Mackay, Hamilton Island and Proserpine. Townsville Airport was still open buy the airline cancelled 10 flights out of the city on Monday and one on Tuesday.

Jetstar cancelled six Monday flights in and out of Townsville, four to and from Mackay and two each from Hamilton Island and Proserpine. Qantas did not detail its cancellations.

Tropical Cyclone Debbie Key Points:

• System an estimated 475 kilometres east-northeast of Townsville
• Category two strength, but expected to be category four or five when it crosses land
• Cyclone will make landfall between Townsville and Proserpine on Tuesday morning
• Evacuations underway in the Whitsundays and mass sandbagging in Townsville
• Wind gusts expected to be up to 260km/h with rain to go as far inland as Charters Towers

Cyclone Debbie intensified overnight to become a category 2 system but is expected to strengthen to a category 4 before it crosses the coast. It is expected to pick-up pace on Sunday as it continued to move towards the north Queensland coast.

Just after 7.30am, the severe weather system was classified as "slow-moving" and estimated to be 525 kilometres east-northeast of Townsville and 475 kilometres east-northeast of Ayr.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicted the cyclone to make landfall between Townsville and Proserpine on Tuesday morning.

Debbie was expected to intensify and develop into a category four by early Tuesday morning, bringing wind gusts of up to 260 kilometres per hour.

Residents were stocking-up with food and water ahead of the cyclone's arrival, with shelves at a Townsville supermarket cleaned out.

BoM meteorologist Andrea Peace said a category four would cause "significant structural damage, dangerous airborne debris and also power failures".

Ms Peace said heavy rain in excess of 200 millimetres per day was expected to develop on Sunday along the far north and central Queensland coast, as well as in adjacent inland areas.

"Abnormally high tides are also expected to occur between at least Lucinda and Mackay as the cyclone approaches the coast," she said.

"Large waves may also develop along the beachfront so coastal inundation is likely and those highest waves will be on the southern side of the cyclone."

The BoM has not ruled out the possibility the storm could intensify into a category five.

A cyclone watch zone for residents living between Ayr and St Lawrence - including Bowen, Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands - remains in place.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said extra emergency services staff had been sent across the region, including 50 staff from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service's Disaster Assistance and Response Team to Cairns to bolster local crews.

Swift water and urban rescue teams, damage assessment teams as well as additional SES crews were also dispatched across the state's north. 

Coordination centres in Cairns, Innisfail, Townsville and Mackay were also activated.

After a meeting of the Queensland Disaster Management Committee, Ms Palaszczuk reassured residents "everything that can be done, is being done".

SES director Steve Hallam encouraged local residents to check their emergency plans, ensure their emergency kit was ready and fully stocked with food, water, clothing, medications, important documents, valuables as well as a battery-powered radio and torch.

He also said to refill gas supplies, ensure yards were clear, check any loose branches and secure loose items such as trampolines and outdoor settings.

"The more people can do now to be prepared, the less impact the weather event will have on them," Mr Hallam said.

Meanwhile, queues several kilometres long have formed in north Queensland, as residents clean up and head to the dump, ahead of Tropical Cyclone Debbie's arrival.

A video posted on Twitter showed a traffic jam on the side of the road about midday, leading up to Hervey Range Landfill, west of Townsville.

"It's really good that everyone is tidying up though, being safe," a woman can be heard saying in the video.

"It's getting pretty crazy, I think we've got the police out here as well."

Linda Neilly, a resident of Alice River near Townsville, said it was the calm before the storm at her home on Saturday afternoon, with clear and sunny conditions overhead.

However, locals weren't as calm as the weather, with residents stocking up on supplies before the cyclone arrived.

"There is a feeling of slight anxiety, everyone is standing together and knows what has to be done because we're quite used to being prepared for cyclones," Ms Neilly said.

"We've been getting the cyclone kit ready and filling up our bathtub to make sure we have enough water. 

"We bought a generator and the guy at the Honda store said he was getting smashed and had nearly run out of stock."

It was a similar story at a nearby supermarket, with locals clearing the shelves in preparation.

IGA SUPA Garbutt manager Pirjo Hahling said vegetables, baked beans, spaghetti, water and batteries had flown off the shelves.

Ms Hahling said she was confident the supermarket wouldn't run out of stock completely thanks to a delivery truck arriving on Saturday and another expected on Monday, but non-perishables were being snapped up and may be sold out.

With AAP

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This story was found at: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/schools-ports-closed-as-cyclone-debbie-advances-towards-north-qld-coast-20170326-gv6jwb.html