Northeast Australia In Grip Of 'monster' Cyclone Debbie

AYR, Australia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Mar, 2017 ) - Lashing rain and howling winds battered northeast Australia Tuesday as towns went into lockdown ahead of a "monster" cyclone making landfall, with thousands evacuated amid fears of damage and tidal surges.

Cyclone Debbie is expected to cross the Queensland state coast as a category four storm -- on a scale of five -- packing destructive wind gusts of up to 280 kmh (174 miles) near its wide core. It was initially feared the tempest's arrival would coincide with early morning high tides, causing severe flooding, but its march has slowed and it is now forecast to hit near the town of Bowen at midday (0200 GMT).

Despite this the tidal surge -- which could inundate low-lying homes -- is still expected to be significant. "We are in for a long, tough day," said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who warned of structural damage and power outages.

"The intensity and ferocity of the winds is going to be gradually increasing. Everyone is bunkered down." The force of the cyclone was already being felt on outer islands popular with tourists, including the Whitsundays which were in lockdown.

A worker holed up on Hamilton Island, part of the Whitsundays said the noise was deafening. "It's just like freight trains coming through, left and right," the worker, identified only as Charlie, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"It's a green carpet outside, the trees are just going wild." Chris O'Brien, from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, said reports of damage were filtering through. "We're getting some reports already of roofs starting to lift, including at some of our own facilities in the Whitsundays," he told reporters.

"Whilst it's getting rough out there in the conditions, particularly around the Bowen and Whitsundays areas, it's going to get worse and could get really bad. "We're in for a long haul here," he added. "We're starting to see some damage but overall, our preparations have done what they can do to make sure that our community is kept safe."