Cyclone Yasi is closing in on north Queensland. It’s category 5, of a size and packing a punch that puts it on level pegging with hurricane Katrina, the monster storm that tore New Orleans apart in 2005.
Five years ago, Innisfail suffered the brunt of cyclone Larry. Three quarters of the state is still recovering from massive flooding. Now this.
Spare a thought for Queensland, hunkered down with Yasi expected to hit the coast in just five hours. Yasi’s coming in on a full tide — huge storm tides are predicted, just to add to the woe.
How big is Yasi? Handy reference maps.
The Bureau of Meterology radar shows how the rainfall is following Yasi’s cyclonic motion.
The ABC’s website seems to be among the better ones of posting up-to-date warnings without sucking up too much bandwidth. The network’s 24-hour news channel is feeding in reports from all over the far north.
I’ve been watching the rain radar, tracking the storm’s approach, dumbstruck by the size and the inexorable nature of the disaster now unfolding. It doesn’t give an impression of the wind and the surge and the godawful racket that wind is going to make, for hours and hours while the storm works its way inland.
Good luck and godspeed up there.
Addendum: I just heard that Yasi is likely to reach Mt Isa on Friday as a category 1 cyclone. The town’s about 900km from Townsville on the east coast. I’m sorry, but WTF?
Hey Jase, let’s hope that if this is our Katrina we do a better job of looking after our people in the aftermath.
Rob just came home from a briefing. The storm surge expected in Townsville is so huge that if you were standing on the Strand, the water would be 3m about your head. 😦
*hugs*
It was interesting that cyclone Larry hit in March 06 and the response then, compared to what happened in the Gulf post Kat and Rita, was marked. It’s going to be tough dealing with such a massive disaster as Yasi — who the hell ever expected to hear the word cyclone and Mt Isa in the same sentence? — but I reckon we’re up for it. I certainly hope so.