Australia Cyclone Yasi roars into

Queensland coast

Fierce winds and driving rains brought by the most powerful storm ever to
hit Queensland are lashing northern coastal areas of the Australian state.
With winds reaching up to 290km/h (181mph), Cyclone Yasi is ripping
roofs off buildings and has cut power to at least 100,000 people. The
storm struck south of Cairns and is moving inland, with forecasters
warning of severe damage and likely deaths. Queensland's premier has
warned of devastation on an unprecedented scale.

Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney

Queenslanders are being told to brace for the most catastrophic storm
ever to hit their shores. State Premier Anna Bligh said she did not think
Australia had ever seen a storm of this intensity in an area as thickly
populated. She predicted it would be a very frightening time, with 24
hours of terrifying winds, torrential rains, and the likely loss of electricity
and mobile phones.

Meteorologists upgraded Cyclone Yasi to a category five storm. With winds

of almost 300km/h (186mph), they are warning it poses an extremely
serious threat to life and property, especially around the cities of Cairns
and Townsville.

The town of Tully, close to where the cyclone hit land, is a "scene of mass
devastation", resident Ross Sorbello told the Sydney Morning Herald. Mr
Sorbello, who briefly went outside as the eye of the storm passed over,
said roofs were ripped from houses, electricity poles were down and the
streets were covered with debris.

Other residents of Tully described tree tops being shredded by winds that
roared like jet engines, and water being forced under doors by the
pressure. The nearby communities of Mission Beach and Innisfail are also
believed to be badly affected. Officials say the full extent of the damage
will not be known until daybreak.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the storm as a "cyclone of savagery

and intensity".The state disaster co-ordinator, Ian Stewart, warned
residents they would be on their own during the coming hours as it was
too dangerous to send out emergency workers. He warned that it could
cause a tidal surge as high as 9m (nearly 30ft) in some places,
overwhelming low-lying coastal areas.

Many fear that Yasi could be worse than Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin
on Christmas Eve in 1974 and killed 71 people. That was a category four
storm.The cyclone follows the worst floods in Queensland's history,
triggered by tropical storms which have battered the region since the end
of November.
'Life-threatening'

Cyclone Yasi made landfall between Innisfail and Cardwell at around

midnight local time (1400 GMT Wednesday). The eye of the storm was
reported to be 35km (22 miles) in width, with a front stretching across
650km (400 miles).

Those remaining in their homes were told to tape up windows, fill

sandbags and prepare a "safe room" with mattresses, pillows, a radio,
food and water supplies to wait out the cyclone. They were also
encouraged to fill bathtubs with water for drinking supplies.

One resident of Townsville said: "The windows have been taped and if the
situation rapidly deteriorates we plan to bunker down in a windowless
room when the storm hits - there's just enough room to fit a single blow-
up mattress on the floor. We're reasonably high up, so hopefully should be
okay."

'Bunkering down'

There are lots of ingredients needed to develop a tropical storm including

heat, moisture and falling surface pressure. All these factors have come
together this time to create a powerful storm. Yasi developed into a
severe tropical cyclone as it tracked across the Coral Sea and large
amounts of very warm, moist air were drawn into the system, giving it a
great deal of energy.

There have been seven tropical cyclones in the vicinity of Australia, New
Zealand and Fiji in the past three weeks. This is unusual and possibly
linked with the strong La Nina weather pattern.

More than 400,000 people live in the cyclone's path. The area, which
includes the Great Barrier Reef, is also popular with tourists.