Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi hits category five

Tropical Cyclone Yasi has edged closer to the Townsville region this morning. With wind gusts of 295km/h Yasi has attained category five status with models suggesting conditions are ripe for even further intensification prior to making landfall near Innisfail at this stage. Powerful life threatening winds in excess of 300km/h will make this tropical cyclone the most powerful in recent years. Category five cyclones have been reported off the Western Australian north west coast but with a much greater population density, the most critical threats are for storm surges in low lying areas. Much of Queensland’s centres such as Townsville and Mackay have been built on flood plains making them vulnerable to storm surge threats and flooding.