Forecasters sounded an alert on Tuesday over a cyclone heading for Australia’s coast with wind gusts up to 290kph, saying that if the storm strikes a town directly it could be more destructive than one that killed 65 people three decades ago.
The storm is ”a very serious threat” to north-eastern coastal and island communities between the Lockhart River and Port Douglas, an area spanning about 350km, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Queensland state said in a statement.
Port Douglas, which marks the southern end of the warning zone, lies about 40km north of Cairns, a popular tourist destination and jump-off site for the Great Barrier Reef.
Computers tracking the offshore cyclone have been unable to predict where exactly it will strike land, meteorologist Phil Alford said.
”One thing is for sure. All models say it’s going to cross the coast. None of them are saying it’s going to turn around,” Alford said.
People living in the storm’s path have been advised to tape their windows, remove loose objects from their yards and secure their boats. They should stock up on canned food, candles and fresh water, and ensure they have battery-powered radios.
Alford said the cyclone has a very destructive core and is potentially more damaging than Cyclone Tracy, which in 1974 devastated the northern city of Darwin, killing 49 people in the city and another 16 at sea. — Sapa-AP