Australia Begins Cleanup from Category Five Cyclone Yasi
- 13 years ago
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Cyclone Yasi has been the largest and most powerful cyclone to hit Australia in living memory, but to date no lives have been lost. The category five system made landfall around midnight local time on Wednesday, in Far North Queensland. It left a trail of devastation in its wake. Winds tore off roofs and toppled trees. Our NTD correspondent Gabriel Georgiou (PRON george ee oh) is in the region and has the latest update on Yasi.
After devastating floods inundated Queensland, Australia only weeks ago, Mother Nature once again set her eyes on the state, and returned bringing severe tropical cyclone Yasi with her.
Yasi, approximately the size of Italy, packed winds of up to 186 miles per hour. The hardest hit communities were Cardwell, Tully, Innisfail and Misson Beach in Far North Queensland.
Cairns, a major regional tourist city, escaped relatively unscathed. Early forecasts predicted it would bare the brunt of the disaster. The ten thousand residents who spent the night in evacuation centers returned to their homes on Thursday, which were relatively undamaged.
The cyclone which was more than 310 miles wide, has left 177,000 homes without power. Queensland's premier, Anna Bligh, says thousands will be made homeless.
[Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier]:
"We haven't had any reports of significant injury or fatalities at this stage. But it is still early and comprehensive assessments have by no means been undertaken."
The lack of any major damage or fatal injures was attributed to several days of cyclone preparation. Early evacuations and laws ensured newer homes and buildings were built strong enough to survive a storm of this magnitude.
Yasi was rated on a par with Hurricane Katrina, which wrecked New Orleans in 2005, killing 1,500 people and causing $81 billion dollars in damage.
Gabriel Georgiou, NTD News, Queensland Australia.
Cyclone Yasi has been the largest and most powerful cyclone to hit Australia in living memory, but to date no lives have been lost. The category five system made landfall around midnight local time on Wednesday, in Far North Queensland. It left a trail of devastation in its wake. Winds tore off roofs and toppled trees. Our NTD correspondent Gabriel Georgiou (PRON george ee oh) is in the region and has the latest update on Yasi.
After devastating floods inundated Queensland, Australia only weeks ago, Mother Nature once again set her eyes on the state, and returned bringing severe tropical cyclone Yasi with her.
Yasi, approximately the size of Italy, packed winds of up to 186 miles per hour. The hardest hit communities were Cardwell, Tully, Innisfail and Misson Beach in Far North Queensland.
Cairns, a major regional tourist city, escaped relatively unscathed. Early forecasts predicted it would bare the brunt of the disaster. The ten thousand residents who spent the night in evacuation centers returned to their homes on Thursday, which were relatively undamaged.
The cyclone which was more than 310 miles wide, has left 177,000 homes without power. Queensland's premier, Anna Bligh, says thousands will be made homeless.
[Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier]:
"We haven't had any reports of significant injury or fatalities at this stage. But it is still early and comprehensive assessments have by no means been undertaken."
The lack of any major damage or fatal injures was attributed to several days of cyclone preparation. Early evacuations and laws ensured newer homes and buildings were built strong enough to survive a storm of this magnitude.
Yasi was rated on a par with Hurricane Katrina, which wrecked New Orleans in 2005, killing 1,500 people and causing $81 billion dollars in damage.
Gabriel Georgiou, NTD News, Queensland Australia.