Yasi crossed the Queensland coast near Mission Beach at midnight as a Category 5 storm. It is now tracking west as a Category 3, and is expected to travel as far as Mount Isa, causing damage to isolated outback communities. Mount Isa is about 800km SW of Innisfail in a straight line. Luckily, it appears that Cairns, a city of over 120,000 people, has avoided the worst of the cyclone, unlike the smaller centres of Mission Beach, Innisfail and Cardwell. These towns are reported as having suffered extensive damage but, thankfully, no deaths have been reported. The winds, estimated to have reached 300kph in places, as well as being very destructive, have created a storm surge in the sea of up to 5 metres, causing flooding of low lying coastal areas, and it's estimated that over 170,000 houses are without power. One lady in a storm affected town told Sky News of finding her neighbour's house in her back garden, while Queensland premier, Anna Bligh, said she heard reports that 90% of buildings in the main street of Innisfail were badly damaged.
A Sky News reporter in Bowen told of very strong winds there, and Bowen is about 460km south of Innisfail, so that gives an indication of the enormous size of the cyclone. It will be a few days before the full extent of the damage is known.
Peter.