Tropical Cyclone Debbie pounded far north Queensland on Tuesday, bringing powerful winds and driving rain which snapped large trees, shook homes, destroyed roofs and led to tens of thousands of residents losing power.
Though the storm was downgraded to a tropical low overnight, residents were warned of continuing treacherous conditions on Wednesday, and for the full extent of the damage to be revealed with the new day.
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Cyclone Debbie v Instagram
Social media vision shows the wild conditions Cyclone Debbie is currently inflicting on the Queensland coast.
Striking the coastline as a category 4 cyclone, the powerful storm brought winds of up to 260km/h and caused injury to at least one man, who was badly hurt in Proserpine, 100km north of Mackay, by a collapsing wall. More than 45, 000 people were left without power.
Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said the man was taken to hospital and warned the public that more injuries or even fatalities were possible in the storm's wake.
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"I think what we need to brace for, this is a very destructive storm," Mr Stewart said.
"I think the public and the community of Queensland need to understand that we are going to get lots of reports of damage and, sadly, I think that we will also receive more reports of injuries, if not death.
By 3am Wednesday morning, the storm was still moving inland but had lost much of its intensity, and was downgraded to a tropical low. The Bureau of Meteorology warned though that heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts would continue across the region, with a high possibility of flash flooding and river flooding in some areas.
"Don't be complacent," the Queensland Ambulance service said, citing the forecast of heavy rain and flashflooding.
Path of the storm
Airlie Beach, Proserpine and Hamilton Island felt the full brunt of Cyclone Debbie the day before, with late winds threatening homes late on Tuesday, keeping the region in lock down, and the Bruce Highway was blocked north and south of Airlie Beach.
The cyclone moved inland before it was downgraded to a category 2. Late on Tuesday it was heading for the small town of Collinsville. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told ABC News she was concerned about the 1500 residents in the town.
"We are now telling all Collinsville residents that it is no time to move. They now have to stay in their place of refuge, in their house," she said.
The Premier slammed the actions of some residents during the cyclone as "appalling" after people were spotted driving and surfing.
"I cannot believe this sort of behaviour," she told ABC News. "To go out there into the treacherous surf is simply irresponsible. Honestly, why do you want to put your own life at risk and put the lives of others at risk?"
In Bowen, SES controller David Thicker said it was still unsafe for people to be outside. "We won't let our people out there yet, we'll get out first light in the morning."
Newlywed south-east Queensland couple Kurt and Sophie Moore were stuck on Hamilton Island and evacuated to an auditorium.
"Every now and then there must be a bit of wind gets under the roof sheets and the tiles start lifting and flying around," Mr Moore said.
"So you see a bit of daylight which gets a bit scary.
"I'm so glad we got evacuated out of the place we were staying in, I think we'd be pooping watermelons right now, to be honest."
Chrissie Yee said she could not sleep due to the terrifying noise generated by the cyclone on Hamilton Island, wedging furniture against the doors to stop them from shaking.
"It sounds like someone is crying and bashing against the door," she said.
Whitsunday councillor Jan Clifford watched trees take flight from her backyard at Airlie Beach.
"A huge tree in my backyard has been uprooted and has taken out our fence," Cr Clifford said.
"That was a rainforest tree pushing a metre in diameter. It should have been OK. Another tree has landed on my roof. The wind is so loud."
Bowen missed being in the eye of the storm but still copped a lashing, with gusts of up to 148km/h recorded at 1.35pm and 108mm of rain in the six hours to 3pm, and the weather bureau's radar being knocked out of action.
In Bowen, a motel lost its wall and there were reports of another property losing its roof.
The 270 people in Bowen's cyclone shelter, which was locked down at 3am, would likely be bunkered down till Wednesday morning.
Proserpine-based Whitsundays councillor John Collins said the wind sounded "like a jumbo jet is parked on my roof".
"I've been through a few cyclones that are quick and nasty but this one is going to go all day," he told AAP.
"This is going to be a terrible disaster when it is all over and done with."
A Proserpine resident described the moment her neighbour's roof slammed into her house, smashing three windows and causing water to flood in.
"The doors are shaking, the interior doors to those rooms," she told the ABC.
But Burdekin Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said Ayr "dodged a bullet".
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged north Queenslanders to stay inside and off the roads to allow emergency services to assess the damage.
"Once this eye is passing over, people will feel the opportunity to go out and have a look and they should not do that," she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the impact of the cyclone would be felt for the next three to five days as it travelled down the coast.
The weather bureau said the cyclone's later than expected arrival meant the feared storm surge did not coincide with the high tide in Mackay, after 25,000 people were urged to evacuate on Monday.
But a flood watch was issued for coastal catchments from Ayr down to the New South Wales border, with widespread falls of 150-200mm expected over the coming days.
Several schools will remain closed on Wednesday.
Medical, counselling and search and rescue teams have been deployed along with army engineers ready to clear roads and other Navy personnel to clear debris from harbours.
The federal government has activated its disaster response plan, working with the Queensland government.
Townsville-based Australian Army Brigadier Christopher Field will co-ordinate Queensland's recovery efforts following the cyclone, being appointed State Recovery Co-ordinator.
Ms Palaszczuk said he had extensive experience in the Australian Army and was pivotal following the 2011 floods and Cyclone Yasi.
Brigadier Field said the Australian defence force had helicopters and disaster relief vessel HMAS Choules ready to go once access to affected areas could be worked out.
"We'll assess the damage in the morning ... And make sure we can get people to the area as quickly as possible," he said.
The Insurance Council of Australia declared Cyclone Debbie as a "catastrophe".
Chief executive officer Rob Whelan said it was too early to estimate the cost of the damage but said insurers were expecting thousands of claims in the coming weeks.
Since 2006, insurers have paid more than $3.6 billion in cyclone-related claims in Queensland.
with Reuters
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