Strong winds and rain lash Airlie Beach, Australia, on Thursday morning, with Cyclone Debbie expected to hit Queensland's far north coast as a category 4 cyclone early in the afternoon. It was the first in two years to reach the coast of the northeastern state and could be worse than Cyclone Yasi in some areas. About 34,000 properties had power outages in the Bowen, Whitsundays and Mackay areas, according to supplier Ergon Energy. The Port of Townsville, which handles approximately A$30 million (US$23 million) in trade per day, evacuated vessels and personnel Monday. It took about 40 hours before the first ship was allowed back into port after Cyclone Yasi passed in 2011, Corporate Affairs Manager Sharon Hoops said by phone.

Source: Bangkok Post March 28, 2017 03:56 UTC