News starting to trickle in.
Quote:
INNISFAIL, Australia (AFP) – A terrifying top-strength cyclone slammed into Australia's populous northeast coast Thursday, with officials warning it could be one of the most lethal storms in the nation's history.
Howling winds whipped up by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi with speeds of up to 290 kilometres (181 miles) per hour ripped off roofs, felled trees and cut power supplies as the storm crossed the Queensland coast.
The storm's size and power dwarfs Cyclone Tracy, which hit the northern Australian city of Darwin in 1974, killing 71 people and flattening more than 90 percent of its houses. It is also twice the size and far stronger than the category four Cyclone Larry that caused Aus$1.5 billion ($1.5 billion) of damage after hitting agricultural areas around Innisfail, just south of Cairns, in 2006.
"This is probably the worst cyclone that our nation has ever seen,"
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110202...20110202162400
A satellite phone report on CNN said a shelter with over 500 people inside had it's roof blown off but didn't know if there were any injuries.