Howling winds, heavy rain and huge seas pounded Australia's northeast on Tuesday, damaging homes, wrecking jetties and cutting power to thousands of people as Cyclone Debbie tore through Queensland state's far north.
Wind gusts stronger than 260kmh were recorded at tourist resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef as the powerful storm made landfall as a category four, one rung below the most dangerous wind speed level.
It was later downgraded to a category three storm. Forecasters said high winds could persist for as long as 10 hours, although it would then weaken rapidly and was expected to be downgraded to category one before dawn on Wednesday.
Police said the cyclone had already contributed to one death, after a 31-year-old female tourist died in a car crash near Proserpine, about 900km northwest of Brisbane. A man was also badly hurt when a wall collapsed there.
However, the weather was still too bad to assess damage fully or mount an emergency response.
"We will also receive more reports of injuries ... We need to be prepared for that," Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart told reporters in Brisbane.
The calm eye of the powerful but slow moving storm crossed the Queensland coast and made landfall near Airlie Beach, just north of Proserpine, about 12.30pm (local time), knocking out telephone services.
"It's very noisy: Screaming, howling wind ... sounds like a freight train," Jan Clifford told Reuters by text from Airlie Beach as the cyclone made landfall.
"Still blowing like crazy," she said four hours later.
Authorities had urged thousands of people in low-lying areas to flee their homes on Monday, in what would have been the biggest evacuation seen in Australia since Cyclone Tracy devastated the northern city of Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974.
The storm - predicted to be a "monster" by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk - sparked a mass evacuation in Mackay, with fears of a devastating tidal surge. However, authorities on Tuesday said that danger had eased.
More than 100 north Queensland schools have been closed.
CATASTROPHE DECLARED
Torrential rain flooded streets and wind smashed windows, uprooted trees and tossed debris through streets, while jetties at Airlie Beach marina were wrecked, Nine Network television pictures showed.
Power was cut for 48,000 people in a wide area between the towns of Bowen and Mackay, north and south of Airlie Beach, Ergon Energy spokesman John Fowler said.
Ports at Abbot Point, Mackay and Hay Point were shut, and Townsville airport was closed. Airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia suspended all flights to and from the region and said planes could also be grounded on Wednesday.
BHP Billiton and Glencore halted work at their coal mines in the storm's path.
The Insurance Council of Australia declared Cyclone Debbie a catastrophe, making it easier to make claims, but said in a statement it was too early to estimate the cost of damage.
RESORTS BATTERED
