‘Virtually nothing standing’ in Tully, Queensland – ‘Nothing’s been spared’ in Mission Beach
By Paul Colgan, Owen Vaughan, and Helen Davidson, news.com.au
February 03, 2011 7.36am Ms Bligh said six people, aged in their 60s, who were trapped in a unit at Port Hinchinbrook overnight were safe and well on Thursday morning. “I’m very pleased to advise they’re safe,” she said. “I’m sure they had tough night.” 7.41am 90 per cent of the streets of Tully are expected to be extensively damaged. “We do expect to see Tully experiencing some very very high levels of damage to buildings, to vegetation and potentially to other infrastructure,” Anna Bligh told Sky News. 8.18am The scene at Cyclone Yasi’s ground zero is one of devastation, but even police who bunkered down at Mission Beach don’t know just how bad it is. Police say trees had been reduced to sticks, streets were littered with debris, and some buildings had been damaged, but conditions are still too dangerous to allow even a cursory assessment of the damage. “Around 10pm (AEST) there was this massive roar and we could hear vegetation being shredded to pieces,” said officer in charge Sergeant Dan Gallagher. 8.29am There is “virtually nothing standing” in Tully, says Tully Times reporter Linda Timms about the surrounding rainforest. From her home at the base of Mount Tyson, Ms Timms said on ABC Radio she had no view of the mountain through the trees before the cyclone, but now it is a clear view. 8.39am David Brook, general manager of the Mission Beach Elandra Resort said the area now looked like “Vietnam (in the war movie) Apocalypse Now“. Trees are down, cars have been swept away, roofs have been torn away and the sand on the beach has disappeared, Mr Brook said. “Nothing’s been spared. “The devastation is phenomenal, like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” he said, noting that he’s seen at least five cyclones hit the area over the past 20 years. 8.54am As daylight breaks, pictures are coming in of the cyclone damage in Tully. This photograph was taken on Black Street. Pic: John Wilson 9.01am Callers to ABC radio describe their experiences in the cyclone, saying Larry was “nothing compared to this”. One woman tearfully pleads for people to think of those on farms as she tells of writing her phone number on her horses – which are now lost – in the hope they would be found again. Another resident describes “100 foot coconut trees” planted in 1918 bent in half by the winds. 9.11am Palm Island – which was not evacuated – is “a mess” with “some structural damage to residences” according to reports from other users of the Queensland Police Facebook page. Thankfully there have been no reported casualties. 9.17am Queensland Police are urging people in Cairns and Townsville to be patient and stay indoors as conditions are still unsafe. Technical experts are performing damage assessments so the all clear can be given for residents to safely return home and travel on roads.
