Residents fill sandbags in preparation for the arrival of Cyclone Debbie in the northern Australian town of Bowen, located south of Townsville on 27 March, 2017. Photo: ReutersAyr (Australia): Thousands of people including tourists were evacuated on Monday as northeast Australia braced for a “monster” cyclone packing destructive winds, with warnings of major structural damage and dangerous tidal surges. Cyclone Debbie has been forming off the coast of Queensland state over recent days, the Bureau of Meteorology said, and is expected to make landfall as a category four storm—on a scale of five—after daybreak Tuesday. “This is probably the largest evacuation we’ve ever had to do,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, adding that structural damage and power outages were likely. The cyclone is forecast to hit at around 8am (2200 GMT Monday), with high tide in the area at 9.44am.

Source: Mint March 27, 2017 11:48 UTC