Gumleaf
February 19th, 2015, 05:37 PM
http://www.9news.com.au/National/2015/02/19/12/40/Tropical-Cyclone-Marcia-upgraded-to-category-two-as-Queensland-braces-for-wild-weather
The 30,000 people in the direct path of tropical Cyclone Marcia have been told it is now too late to evacuate as the category five storm begins to cross the coast near Yeppoon.
SES Assistant Commissioner Peter Jeffrey told the TODAY Show the time for preparations was past.
"It's time to essentially brace, make safe for yourself, and make safe for your family," he said.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told assembled media the coastal community of Yeppoon was expected to bear the brunt of the impact.
She said many thousands of Queenslanders were about to face a "harrowing and terrifying experience".
Hotels and homes in Yeppoon have been evacuated after Cyclone Marcia was upgraded to a category five storm.
Queensland Police issued an alert saying Percy Ford, Swordfish Avenue Kinka Beach, Todd Avenue, Whitman Avenue, Charles Street, Whilliam Street, Burnett Street and Morris Street were at risk of storm tide inundation.
About 600 residents of the town have taken shelter in an evacuation centre.
"We are now very concerned with people's safety," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned the impact of Cyclone Marcia would be a "calamity".
Emergency services have withdrawn from affected areas to find safe shelter, ready to respond in the immediate aftermath.
Cyclone Marcia is expected to hit Rockhampton as a category three storm later today after sweeping through Yeppoon.
Cyclone Lam is meanwhile moving inland across the Northern Territory as a category four storm, buffeting remote communities with winds of up to 260km/h.
In some rare good news, two fishermen earlier reported missing have been found alive and apparently well on an island in the Great Sandy Strait
Wild weather earlier forced police to suspend the search, but boats were re-launched in an attempt to find the men.
Authorities are predicting Queensland will be soaked by heavy rainfall and hammered by sustained winds when Marcia makes landfall near Yeppoon, in Central Queensland.
Marcia now has winds of 205km/h at its core, with gusts of up to 285km/h.
The tropical cyclone was first updated to a category two early yesterday afternoon, before quickly moving to a three and then a four last night.
The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology has issued a warning to areas stretching from Sarina to Double Island Point, extending inland to Moura, Biloela, Monto, Taroom, Mundubbera, and Murgon.
Authorities are monitoring the storm, which is slowly moving south-east of the central Queensland coast, and previously urged Queenslanders to be prepared, including sandbagging homes and packing "go bags".
FAST FACTS:
• State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have received more than 780 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours
• These requests are concentrated in south-east Queensland, particularly on the Sunshine Coast, and are predominantly for requests for sandbags
• SES volunteers and QFES Rapid Damage Assessment teams are standing by, ready to respond
• Swift water rescue technicians have been stationed across the state at areas that are likely to be impacted by storm surge, flash flooding or inundation
• More than 150 additional QFES staff and around 4,500 Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) volunteers on standby, ready to be deployed
• Regional Operation Centres across the central and south-east Queensland have been activated, with staff working tirelessly to coordinate logistics and preparations for Tropical Cyclone Marcia
There are records of only seven other category five tropical cyclones to have battered Australia since 1899 - with three of those in the past 10 years.
Cyclone Mahina struck Cape York in 1899, while unnamed cyclones hit the Queensland towns of Innisfail and Mackay in 1918.
Cyclone Joan ravaged Port Hedland in Western Australia in 1975, and the town was battered again by Cyclone George in 2007.
Three states including Queensland and Western Australia felt the wrath of Cyclone Ingrid in 2005, though it only intensified into a category five storm as it hit the Northern Territory coastline.
Most recently, Cyclone Yasi reached gusts of 290km/h when it swept over north Queensland in 2011, causing an estimated $3.6 billion of damage.
The infamous Cyclone Tracy, which ravaged Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974, killed 71 people and left 25,000 homeless - but it was classed as a category four storm.
Thousands of sandbags have been distributed across the state as residents ready themselves for the wild weather.
"It is important all Queenslanders brace themselves for heavy rain," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"This is a serious event.
"It is crucial that you stay by your radio and listen to the hourly updates."
The Bureau of Meteorology expects heavy rain and damaging winds between Double Island Point and Brisbane, extending down to the state's southern border later today.
Flash flooding is also possible, with some 300mm likely to fall in the next 24 hours while wind gusts could reach 90km/h in some areas.
Abnormally high tides are also predicted over the next two days.
Deputy Police Commissioner and Disaster Co-ordinator Steve Gollschewski said communities south of Rockhampton would be affected.
He urged people to listen to authorities, prepare their homes and stock up on food and water.
Mr Gollschewski said people should not take any risks if they left their homes.
"If it's flooded, forget it," he said.
"If there's no need to go out on the roads, don't do that. They're not safe environments when we have a lot of rain.
"Leave it to the ones that need to be out so that they can do the work they need to do."
The disaster co-ordinator indicated more information on storm surges and flooding would be given at the afternoon meeting of the state disaster management committee.
Meantime, Qantas flights to and from Bundaberg have been suspended.
SEQ Water says heavy rainfall is expected only along the southeast coast, not in dam catchment areas to the west.
Wivenhoe, which is 77 percent full, is releasing some water but the spillway is expected to remain closed all weekend, according to the dam operator.
© ninemsn 2015
The 30,000 people in the direct path of tropical Cyclone Marcia have been told it is now too late to evacuate as the category five storm begins to cross the coast near Yeppoon.
SES Assistant Commissioner Peter Jeffrey told the TODAY Show the time for preparations was past.
"It's time to essentially brace, make safe for yourself, and make safe for your family," he said.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told assembled media the coastal community of Yeppoon was expected to bear the brunt of the impact.
She said many thousands of Queenslanders were about to face a "harrowing and terrifying experience".
Hotels and homes in Yeppoon have been evacuated after Cyclone Marcia was upgraded to a category five storm.
Queensland Police issued an alert saying Percy Ford, Swordfish Avenue Kinka Beach, Todd Avenue, Whitman Avenue, Charles Street, Whilliam Street, Burnett Street and Morris Street were at risk of storm tide inundation.
About 600 residents of the town have taken shelter in an evacuation centre.
"We are now very concerned with people's safety," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned the impact of Cyclone Marcia would be a "calamity".
Emergency services have withdrawn from affected areas to find safe shelter, ready to respond in the immediate aftermath.
Cyclone Marcia is expected to hit Rockhampton as a category three storm later today after sweeping through Yeppoon.
Cyclone Lam is meanwhile moving inland across the Northern Territory as a category four storm, buffeting remote communities with winds of up to 260km/h.
In some rare good news, two fishermen earlier reported missing have been found alive and apparently well on an island in the Great Sandy Strait
Wild weather earlier forced police to suspend the search, but boats were re-launched in an attempt to find the men.
Authorities are predicting Queensland will be soaked by heavy rainfall and hammered by sustained winds when Marcia makes landfall near Yeppoon, in Central Queensland.
Marcia now has winds of 205km/h at its core, with gusts of up to 285km/h.
The tropical cyclone was first updated to a category two early yesterday afternoon, before quickly moving to a three and then a four last night.
The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology has issued a warning to areas stretching from Sarina to Double Island Point, extending inland to Moura, Biloela, Monto, Taroom, Mundubbera, and Murgon.
Authorities are monitoring the storm, which is slowly moving south-east of the central Queensland coast, and previously urged Queenslanders to be prepared, including sandbagging homes and packing "go bags".
FAST FACTS:
• State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have received more than 780 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours
• These requests are concentrated in south-east Queensland, particularly on the Sunshine Coast, and are predominantly for requests for sandbags
• SES volunteers and QFES Rapid Damage Assessment teams are standing by, ready to respond
• Swift water rescue technicians have been stationed across the state at areas that are likely to be impacted by storm surge, flash flooding or inundation
• More than 150 additional QFES staff and around 4,500 Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) volunteers on standby, ready to be deployed
• Regional Operation Centres across the central and south-east Queensland have been activated, with staff working tirelessly to coordinate logistics and preparations for Tropical Cyclone Marcia
There are records of only seven other category five tropical cyclones to have battered Australia since 1899 - with three of those in the past 10 years.
Cyclone Mahina struck Cape York in 1899, while unnamed cyclones hit the Queensland towns of Innisfail and Mackay in 1918.
Cyclone Joan ravaged Port Hedland in Western Australia in 1975, and the town was battered again by Cyclone George in 2007.
Three states including Queensland and Western Australia felt the wrath of Cyclone Ingrid in 2005, though it only intensified into a category five storm as it hit the Northern Territory coastline.
Most recently, Cyclone Yasi reached gusts of 290km/h when it swept over north Queensland in 2011, causing an estimated $3.6 billion of damage.
The infamous Cyclone Tracy, which ravaged Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974, killed 71 people and left 25,000 homeless - but it was classed as a category four storm.
Thousands of sandbags have been distributed across the state as residents ready themselves for the wild weather.
"It is important all Queenslanders brace themselves for heavy rain," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"This is a serious event.
"It is crucial that you stay by your radio and listen to the hourly updates."
The Bureau of Meteorology expects heavy rain and damaging winds between Double Island Point and Brisbane, extending down to the state's southern border later today.
Flash flooding is also possible, with some 300mm likely to fall in the next 24 hours while wind gusts could reach 90km/h in some areas.
Abnormally high tides are also predicted over the next two days.
Deputy Police Commissioner and Disaster Co-ordinator Steve Gollschewski said communities south of Rockhampton would be affected.
He urged people to listen to authorities, prepare their homes and stock up on food and water.
Mr Gollschewski said people should not take any risks if they left their homes.
"If it's flooded, forget it," he said.
"If there's no need to go out on the roads, don't do that. They're not safe environments when we have a lot of rain.
"Leave it to the ones that need to be out so that they can do the work they need to do."
The disaster co-ordinator indicated more information on storm surges and flooding would be given at the afternoon meeting of the state disaster management committee.
Meantime, Qantas flights to and from Bundaberg have been suspended.
SEQ Water says heavy rainfall is expected only along the southeast coast, not in dam catchment areas to the west.
Wivenhoe, which is 77 percent full, is releasing some water but the spillway is expected to remain closed all weekend, according to the dam operator.
© ninemsn 2015