Monster cyclone nears Australia

Tens of thousands of Australians stockpiled food and waited in sturdy shelters as a monster cyclone approached the north east coast with furious winds, rain and surging seas on a scale unseen in generations.

Gusts up to 186mph are expected when Cyclone Yasi strikes the coast after whipping across Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The storm front is more than 310 miles wide and Yasi is so strong, it could reach far inland before it significantly loses power.

Queensland premier Anna Bligh said the last cyclone of such strength to cross Queensland was in 1918. “It’s such a big storm – it’s a monster, killer storm,” she said. “This impact is likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations.”

Ms Bligh said coastal residents should have left already as their region would undoubtedly flood during an expected high sea surge. People further inland were told to “bunker down” in their homes and get ready for gale-force winds. More than 10,000 people were already in evacuation centres, and roads were closing as strong winds and heavy rain made travel unsafe.

Landfall was expected just south of Cairns – a city of about 164,000 people about 1,400 miles north of Sydney and a gateway for visitors to the Great Barrier Reef – between the towns of Innisfail and Cardwell.

Yasi was forecast to hit land at about 10pm local time (noon GMT), the Bureau of Meteorology said. The timing, just after high tide, meant high storm surges of at least 6.5ft were likely to flood significant areas along the coast.

Cairns airport closed after extra morning flights left. Tourists fled beach resorts ranging from backpacker hostels to exclusive clubs, and military flights ferried the ill and elderly from hospitals to safety further south. About 9,500 people had taken cover at evacuation centres by last night.

Those who decided to weather the storm from their homes taped up windows, stacked sandbags and tried to stay calm.

Jane Alcorn and Briton Alan Buckingham, 48, filled a basket with food and rubbish bags at a grocery store buzzing with people picking up last-minute essentials Wednesday morning. The couple said the winds would likely tear the roof off their apartment complex, but they still planned to take shelter in their garage with other tenants.

Mr Buckingham, who has never experienced a cyclone before, admitted he was having some trouble keeping his nerves in check. “Where do you run to?” he said. “You can’t run inland and outpace it. … You’ve got to sit it out.”