Off Topic CYCLONE MARCIA

This has just popped up on the BBC... I hope you and yours stay safe down under QL.. That certainly looks terrifying.

'Destructive' tropical cyclone Marcia hits Queensland

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"Destructive winds" are threatening coastal and island communities, meteorologists warn
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A "very destructive" storm has hit the coast of Queensland, forcing evacuations from coastal communities, Australian officials say.

Forecasters warn Category Five tropical cyclone Marcia - with wind gusts up to 285km/h (177 mph) - is bringing heavy rain and "abnormally high tides".

The cyclone made landfall between St Lawrence and Yeppoon.

Separately, Category Four tropical cyclone Lam hit the Northern Territory, causing power cuts for thousands.

The storm - with winds reaching 230km/h - struck Elcho Island and is moving south-west. Local residents said roofs had been torn off from a number of houses and trees uprooted.

There have been no reports of injuries there, and the storm was later downgraded to Category Three as it continued moving inland.

'No panic' plea
"Severe tropical cyclone Marcia, Category Five, is currently crossing the coast near Shoalwater Bay north of Yeppoon," Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) saidin a statement.

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In Yeppoon, about 870 homes were evacuated because of storm surges

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It said "destructive winds" would threaten communities between St Lawrence and Gladstone in the morning, and Capricornia and Burnett districts later in the day.

Local residents should be prepared for an evacuation if advised by the authorities, the BoM added.

It also warned about possible tidal and flash flooding.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said 134 schools and 43 child care centres along the coast had been closed so far.

She said 100 people had been evacuated from Lady Elliot Island, a coral cay located at the southern tip of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, and some tourists were being moved to safety on Heron Island, also on the Great Barrier Reef.

In Yeppoon, about 870 homes were evacuated because of storm surges, according to Queensland emergency authorities.

The mayor of the nearby town of Rockhampton, Margaret Strelow, told ABC Radio that Marcia was like "a real moving beast" as it appeared to head first to the west of the city and then to the east.

Further south, local media reported that 90,000 sandbags had so far been handed out across Queensland's major city, Brisbane, because of predictions of heavy rain and flooding.

At a news conference, Ms Palaszczuk said it was "a serious event", warning that "over the next few hours, many thousands of Queenslanders are going to go through a harrowing and terrifying experience".

 

I know I often moan ( just ask Mrs Nines ) about living in the British Isles, and dream of moving abroad. But one of the best things about living here is that you don't really get any of the extremes that QL is experiencing. He get's the nice weather etc but we get none of the nasty stuff. No evil spiders, snakes or crocs around these parts. ( Unless you're DT, he's partial to a pair of crocs and I've seen him gallivanting through Wimbledon Village completely naked wearing a pair of Uggs. ) No extreme heat or floods either. Maybe I'll just stay put. I do believe that Queensland also suffered some major flooding a year or two ago?