[11] Across Queensland, more than 400 schools and education centres were closed. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. The majority of these costs lie in Proserpine and Mackay. The incident occurred near the town of Prospering in the Whitsunday Region just before 8am when two cars collided head-on at an intersection. With the storm potentially coinciding with high tide, it was estimated that water rise in some areas could potentially exceed 7 m (23 ft). Many tied boats to their fenceposts and spent Monday building a temporary levee to protect the city's north. [37] The ex-tropical cyclone went on to cause damage further south, particularly around the Logan and Albert Rivers, flooding infrastructure such as the Beenleigh railway station and resulting in the death of a 77-year-old man in Eagleby. The body of a 45-year-old man was located at a caravan park at Tweed Valley Way, South Murwillumbah in New South Wales just after 1.30pm on Saturday. North Queensland Bulk Ports closed the ports at Mackay, Abbot Point and Hay Point. [39] Damage to winter crops in the Bowen–Gumlu region reached A$100 million (US$76.4 million). A mid-level ridge to the east and an approaching trough over the Tasman Sea steered the low generally south. Cyclone death toll in Australia at least 6 after bodies recovered under car. Queensland's emergency crews are trying to rescue around 50 people trapped by floodwaters in Mackay on Thursday after Cyclone Debbie battered the state's north coast. [20], There was criticism of the intense coverage of the cyclone by commercial TV media, including some unsafe actions by reporters. Forming as a tropical low on 23 March, the low gradually intensified to a named tropical cyclone on 26 March. [16] The Royal Australian Navy landing ship HMAS Choules set sail from Sydney to Queensland to support post-storm recovery. * Currently at five with three still missing. Cyclone Debbie, a Category 4 storm, one short of the most powerful level five, pounded Australia's Queensland state last week, smashing tourist resorts, bringing down power lines and shutting down coal mines. A German tourist has died in a fatal crash as a result of wild weather building during Cyclone Debbie. [15][11], The Australian Defence Force formed Joint Task Force 661, dubbed "Operation Queensland Assist", to provide assistance with aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, road clearance, restoration of essential services, emergency accommodation and the delivery of stores if required. [8] The BOM followed suit soon thereafter, classifying the system as a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian cyclone intensity scale at 00:00 UTC on 25 March. This prompted the United States-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert, indicating the system was likely to acquire gale-force winds within 24 hours. Highway access from Townsville was restored after the road was blocked at the height of … Cyclone Debbie is expected to intensify into a Category 4 system before it arrives early on Tuesday local time. [1][10], Following landfall, Debbie began to weaken steadily while interacting with North Queensland's rugged terrain. New Zealand's mountainous terrain makes its roads susceptible to landslides and many regions are still recovering from a 7.8 magnitude quake that struck in November, causing substantial damage to infrastructure. Updated 07/04/2017. 4 April, 2017 by Richard Davies in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, News. [26] Power outages affected at least 63,000 properties across Queensland, and numerous trees were uprooted during the storm, with some crashing onto homes. The worst of the weather is now over with category four Cyclone Debbie moving out to sea on Saturday, with a massive clean-up underway. [14] A total of 1,000 emergency personnel and more than 200 Energex workers were deployed to the region to assist with Ergon Energy's preparations and clean up operations. [35], Torrential rains—described by the BOM as "phenomenal"[36]—affected large portions of Queensland, particularly in the Pioneer Basin. At least 6 people have now died in the floods in northern areas of New South Wales after heavy rainfall in the wake of ex Cyclone Debbie. Nonetheless, the cyclone weakened to Category 3 before making landfall in Airlie Beach at 02:40 UTC with winds of 150 km/h (90 mph). Mackay residents with a disability talk about how they coped during Tropical Cyclone Debbie Download 3.4 MB. [27], Debbie was the only name from the 2016-2017 season to be retired by the Bureau of Meteorology, It was replaced by Dara in mid-2018. [17] Three MRH-90 helicopters from HMAS Albatross were also deployed to Queensland. Cyclone Debbie made landfall near Airlie Beach around midday on Tuesday (AEST) as a category 4 cyclone. [1] Afterwards, Debbie rapidly weakened into a tropical low by late 28 March, but continued to travel south, causing significant damage and flooding in the populous areas of South East Queensland and Northern Rivers. [9], The cyclone continued to track generally southwards, developing into a Category 2 cyclone later that day. A damaged building is seen behind a boat that was pushed onto a bank by Cyclone Debbie in the township of Airlie Beach, located south of the … The township of Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty region was evacuated on April 6 due to flooding, and a state of emergency declared. [40] Insured losses across Australia reached A$1.65 billion (US$1.26 billion), with 73,000 damage claims being filed. [47] In total, Debbie killed six people in New South Wales. 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