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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

QUEENSLAND--CYCLONE--YASI




Queensland
Braces for 'huge' Cyclone
Patients are being evacuated from hospitals in the north Queensland city of Cairns as Cyclone Yasi roars closer to the Australian coastline. Troops are flying patients to Brisbane, while residents in coastal areas are being urged to find safer locations. Yasi is expected to hit the state as a category four storm early on Thursday, bringing a storm surge and heavy rain. Cyclone Yasi is expected to hit the Australian coast early on Thursday
Cairns airport was scheduled to close on Wednesday. Rail lines, mines and coal ports have already shut down. In Townsville people were reported to be crowding around the airport. One resident, Tracy Gibbons, told Reuters that there was panic buying. "It's crazy in the shops. People are nearly killing themselves to get food and water before this thing hits. The storm has changed course in the last 24 hours and now appears set to spare central and southern parts of the state devastated by recent flooding. Airlines have put on extra flights to northern Queensland to help evacuate residents and tourists, while holiday-makers have been leaving resort islands. About 250 patients from two hospitals in Cairns are being flown by the air force to Brisbane, because of expected flooding by the storm surge. Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart urged residents in affected areas to evacuate their homes on Tuesday and head south to safer regions. Yasi is expected to be more powerful than Cyclone Larry, which slammed into Queensland in March 2006, leaving thousands of people homeless.
(Ref: BBC News)

Prof. John Kurakar

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