Océanie

Risque environnemental et naturel: cyclones en Australie

AUSTRALIA'S worst cyclone in more than 30 years is expected to strike far north Queensland this afternoon.

Winds of up to 290km/h are threatening to destroy coastal homes and vessels and flood low-lying areas.

The weather bureau predicted the massive cyclone would hit Queensland between Lockhart River and Port Douglas today.

Cyclone Ingrid is a category five, one rating higher than Cyclone Tracy, which decimated Darwin in 1974, killing 65 people.

The State Emergency Service yesterday set up emergency headquarters from Cairns to Cooktown and volunteers encouraged beachfront home owners to arrange alternative accommodation for the coming days.

Residents in the affected areas cleaned yards, secured boats and bought provisions in preparation for the cyclone as insurance agencies began stockpiling tarpaulins and rallying home assessors to deal with the potential fallout.

Cyclone Ingrid was 225km northeast of Cooktown at 8pm yesterday, bearing towards the Queensland coast at 10km/h.

Weather bureau forecaster Todd Smith said the cyclone was likely to cross the Queensland coast in the early afternoon, bringing "very destructive winds" within 35km of its core and the highest tides seen this year. Cairns was expecting a 3.4m king tide early today.

"It's not showing any signs of weakening at the moment, and if it maintains this intensity and crosses the coast somewhere around the Cape Melville area they could experience very destructive winds," Mr Smith said.

"Tomorrow morning they'll start to experience gale-force winds and as the day progresses and the eye of the cyclone approaches the coast, you will get a storm surge or, if it coincides with a high tide, (flooding) of low-lying areas."

Mr Smith said it was not clear where the storm would strike, but it was headed towards the less populated Cape Melville area, rather than the larger towns of Cooktown or Port Douglas.

Cape Melville was the location of Australia's deadliest cyclone in 1899, which killed 400 people and destroyed 100 fishing boats in Princess Charlotte Bay.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service yesterday evacuated and closed all national park visitor sites north of the Daintree River and erected signs advising visitors to leave the area.

Wet tropics district manager Andrew Millerd said staff also evacuated campers and visitors to nearby islands with national parks, including Lizard, Flinders, Hope and Snapper Islands.

The Lizard Island Resort last night appeared deserted, with the telephone answered by a message stating: "We're experiencing cyclonic conditions at the moment. To leave a message . . ."

But despite the imminent category-five cyclone and strengthening winds, many far north Queensland residents yesterday calmly completed cyclone preparations.

On the Cooktown waterfront, Brian Tinkler moved his 9m yacht to a secluded creek north of the town by trailer.

"It's best to get these sorts of things done now before the wind arrives," Mr Tinkler said.

But there was little panic and many residents said they hoped to avoid destruction and reap the benefits of heavy rainfalls.

Worst cyclones in history in Australia

* March 1899 - Cyclone Mahina destroys Bathurst Bay, near Cape Melville, killing 400 people, including 100 Aborigines, and a 100-strong pearl fishing fleet. Never categorised.

* January 1970 - Tropical Cyclone Ada, a category four, kills 14 people when it hits the Whitsunday resort islands of Daydream, South Molle and Hayman, and floods homes in Proserpine. It causes $390 million damage.

* Christmas Day 1974 - Cyclone Tracy, a category four, batters Darwin for more than eight hours, killing 65 people - 49 on land and 16 at sea. Winds clocked at 217km/h at Darwin Airport before the anemometer was destroyed.

* February 1986 - Tropical Cyclone Winifred, a category three, struck south of Innisfail , killing three people, injuring 20, and destroying 50 homes. It causes $325 million in damage.

* March 1997 - Tropical Cyclone Justin, a category two, kills seven after huge waves hit homes and cause landslides in the Cairns region. It causes $190 million damage.

Other damaging cyclones include:

* 1971 - Cyclone Althea hits Townsville, on Christmas Eve with a 2.8m low-tide storm surge.

* 1991 - Cyclone Joy sits off the North Queensland coast for three days, dies, then floods a 50,000km area, with the worst hit in Rockhampton, with a 9.4m flood, the worst in 90 years, causing $100 million damage