Cyclone Ita is sweeping its way down the Far North Queensland coast right now, but it appears the region has dodged a bullet
Courier-Mail reporter Peter Michael captures the fury of Cyclone Ita in Cooktown.
CYCLONE Ita has weakened to a category one but threatens to bring heavy rain as it moves down the north Queensland coast, Refresh this page for regular updates.
2.45pm: Severe thunderstorms are producing heavy rain and flash flooding at Bowen, Proserpine and Hamilton Island.
Bowen recorded 93mm in one hour to 2pm.
1.10pm: SWIFT water rescue teams rescued two people who had driven their car into floodwaters in Townsville this morning.
Emergency crews were called to Abbott St in Oonoonba about 7.15am after the pair was stranded in waist-deep water.
A boat was used to bring them to safety, a Queensland Fire and Rescue Services spokeswoman said.
IN PICTURES: Cyclone Ita wreaks havoc
12.55pm: PREMIER Campbell Newman said the priority is restoring vital services such as water and electricity, and predicts it will take about eight to 12 weeks to "really crack the back" of the recovery task from Cyclone Ita.
"I envisage it will take about eight to 12 weeks to really crack the back of it," he told SKY News.
"But I think within two or three weeks, given the dynamic leadership from these two mayors in particular, we are going to see a clean-up being completed and no doubt people like the Ergon people will have the power on, the telecommunications back on."
"There will be other issues that take a bit longer to sort out."
Premier Campbell Newman and ministers inspecting a flattened banana crop at Hope Vale. Source: Supplied
When asked about financial assistance for communities, Mr Newman said there are payments available under the disaster arrangements and that he would make some announcements.
"We want to make sure though that people get the support they need as soon as possible…" he said.
"The first priority is to get vital services going like water and power and telecommunications and there are some issues in various communities around that."
He said as the threat of Cyclone Ita shifted down the coast, residents needed to be patient and steer clear of floodwaters.
"We have seen significant flooding, as was predicted yesterday, down the Queensland coast. Townsville this morning has seen very, very heavy rain," he told SKY News.
"Sadly we have seen a swift water rescue happen there."
"Again, it's good that there is no loss of life but I can't stress enough people have got to sit tight."
"It's no time to go out and do the tourist thing, check out the floodwaters or whatever; people should just sit it out, wait until the floodwaters go down and don't try and cross flooded creek and river crossings."
Another picture of the banana crop at Hope Vale, ruined by Tropical Cyclone Ita. Source: Supplied
12.15pm: In the Whitsundays all ports and harbours will close from 3pm and some flights have been cancelled.
Whitsunday Tourism chief executive Daniel Rochford said all island resorts and the mainland tourist centre of Airlie Beach were prepared for the looming blow.
``I just went for a walk down the main street (Airlie Beach) and was surprised how many tourists there were around,'' Mr Rochford said. ``A lot of the locals who live within about a 400km radius have gone home but international tourists have stayed and are hunkered down.''
Mr Rochford said there were no major concerns about the low level storm, mainly due to tough building regulations introduced since the mid 1980s.
``And people are very experienced in handling this sort of thing up here. In a lot of cases, the island resorts are the safest places to be,'' he said.
``Having said that, there will be an impact on visitor numbers, with some flights already abandoned and the Bruce Highway cut to the north. But we'll be back open for business pretty much straight away.''
12.10pm: ERGON Energy says crews will be able to restore power to Mossman township by today.
But it clarified areas north and south of the town have suffered "more widespread local distribution network damage," so some customers in those pockets could be without power for "at least another 72 hours".
Ergon Energy added crews are hopeful of restoring power to more than half of those impacted in Cairns by mid-afternoon today.
11.10am: ALL roads leading into the town of Halifax, northeast of Ingham, are being impacted by local flooding, police said.
At 10.50am, the Queensland Police media unit tweeted: "HALIFAX: local flooding affecting all roads into and including the CBD area. #TCIta #qldtraffic".
Meanwhile, the Cairns Airport has warned it is "still experiencing delays and cancellation to flight operations today," despite the airport's cyclone threat being cancelled.
"People must contact their airlines direct to confirm their bookings on specific flights even if the flight is listed as operating and only come to the airport if confirmed and it is safe to do so," the Cairns Airport Facebook page said.
The airport expects domestic and international flights to return to normal during the day.
11am: THE Port of Cairns has re-opened, with the Cairns Disaster Coordination Centre advising vessels were now able to return to their berths.
"The cruise ship "National Geographic Orion" is due into the port at 1000hrs and will embark stores and passengers at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal," a Facebook post said.
At 11am Ita was 40km offshore from Townsville and heading southeast for the Whitsunday Islands at 23km/hr.
Gusts to 110km per hour and big seas are likely between Cardwell and Mackay today.
Although abnormally high tides are expected from Townsville to Mackay, although Weather Bureau forecasters believe that as the cyclone dissipates, they should not exceed the highest tide levels of the year.
Cyclone Ita was skimming along the coast on the southern edge of Townsville at 11am, with strong winds and rain expected to start to ease on its northern side late tonight.
On its more active southern side, gales and heavy rain are likely to continue through the day as far south as Mackay and to Yeppoon in central Queensland by the morning.
Falls of 100mm to 200mm are expected, with the odd burst to 400mm.
Ita will move off the coast and into the Coral Sea tomorrow and Tuesday, remaining a powerful weather system in the short term.
10.30am: THE Bruce Highway is shut at Alligator Creek, approximately 20km south of Townsville, due to water over the road.
Meanwhile, the roundabout on the Scenic Highway at Statue Bay will shut from midday today as a precaution as Cyclone Ita travels down the coast.
Police said it will be closed from 12pm "until further notice", with detours in place from Claytons Rd onto Mulambin Rd.
"The closure is precautionary due to the weather forecast," a police statement said.
At 10am, Tropical Cyclone Ita was 145 km southeast of Cardwell and 25 km east north east of Townsville, with the system travelling southeast at 23 km per hour.
The cyclone warning extends from Cardwell to Yeppoon.
"Heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is currently occurring about the east tropical coast and ranges between about Rollingstone and Mackay, and will extend south to about Yeppoon today," the Bureau of Meteorology said.
"Rainfall totals of at least 100 to 200mm are expected, with isolated falls up to 400mm possible."
The bureau said Cyclone Ita should move southeast into the Coral Sea during Monday and Tuesday, where it will morph into a vigorous extra-tropical system.
10am: COOKTOWN residents have been warned to only use water for drinking and sanitation, with the town's water supply "critically low".
A post uploaded on the Cook Shire Connect Facebook page about 9am Sunday warns fines will be issued to anyone caught using water outside the strict conditions.
"Cooktown's town water supply is critically low," it says.
"Level 3 water restrictions apply".
9.35am:Moderate flood levels are predicted for the Bohle River, north of Townsville, after up to 200mm of rain was dumped in the area in the past 24 hours.
The Bureau of Meteorology said between 150mm and 200mm has been recorded since 9am yesterday.
The rain is forecast to continue for another three to six hours, the bureau said.
River levels are also approaching the minor flood level at Black River and Bluewater Creek.
There is also a warning in place for Haughton River, with minor flooding expected at Giru.
In the last 12 hours, up to 250mm rain has been recorded, with more rain tipped for the next 12 to 24 hours.
The bureau said the river is forecast to rise above the minor flood level – 1.8 m – during Sunday.
IN PICTURES: Cyclone Ita wreaks havoc
9.15am: ABOUT 13,000 to 14,000 customers remain without power in far north Queensland, with approximately 8000-10,000 also in the dark in north Queensland – specifically around Townsville.
"Crews are well and truly mobilised across north Queensland as the system moves away…" Ergon Energy spokesman Mark Timmerman said.
"There are still fairly vicious conditions from Cardwell down to Townsville at the moment."
"We are making assessments in some areas but still locked down in some parts of Townsville itself."
8.50am: State Emergency Services volunteers have received 132 requests for help across the state in the past 24 hours.
Many requests came from areas such as Cooktown, Cairns, Kuranda, Mossman and Trinity Beach, with the majority relating to roof damage assistance and fallen trees.
Swift Water Rescue technicians are bracing for heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding across the state.
"QFES Rapid Damage Assessment teams assessed several affected communities yesterday to gauge the extent of damage and will continue assessments today," the QFES said
Emergency services are warning people to steer clear of creeks and storm drains, and not cross flooded roads by car or on foot.
For updated information on road closures due to flooding, contact 131940 or visit www.131940.gld.gov.au
Listen to local radio stations and visit www.qldalert.com.au to stay informed and heed advice from the Emergency Services.
In a life threatening emergency contact Triple Zero (000) immediately.
For storm and flood assistance, contact the SES on 132 500 or download the SES App onto your mobile phone.
8am: A FLASH flood advice alert for Redlynch Valley Estate in Cairns has been cancelled.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services issued the update about 7.55am Sunday.
7.40am: The highest recorded rainfall was Nash's Crossing, near Ingham, which has received 376mm since 9am yesterday.
Ken Kato from the Bureau of Meterology said South Mission Beach was the second-highest with 361mm.
Elsewhere, Townsville had 150.6mm while Cairns Racecourse had 114.4mm.
7.05am: The Bruce Highway at Frosty Mango, 70km north of Townsville, will be closed until further notice as Cyclone Ita advances down the coast.
Queensland police issued an alert saying the highway would close at 7am "until further notice".
Townsville Airport was also shut at 6.30am and will be closed until further notice, police said.
State Emergency Services has received 132 requests for help across the state in the past 24 hours.
7am: A CYCLONE warning remains in place for coastal areas from Innisfail to Yeppon.
At 7am, category 1 Cyclone Ita was 70km southeast of Cardwell and 75 km north northwest of Townsville.
The system was moving south southeast at 19 km per hour, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
It is predicted to track southeast over the next 24 hours, while maintaining its tropical cyclone intensity.
The bureau said gusts of 100 km/h are likely between Innisfail and Mackay today.
"Gales may extend further down the coast to St Lawrence tonight, and to Yeppoon early Monday, if the system moves offshore" the warning said.
"Abnormally high" tides are also predicted between Townsville and Mackay, with huge waves along the beachfront.
The bureau added the sea level should not exceed the highest tide of the year.
IN PICTURES: Cyclone Ita wreaks havoc
12.05am: The bureau reported that at 11pm Cyclone Ita was 80km south-southeast of Port Douglas and 30km south-southwest of Cairns.
The system was moving south-southeast at 11km/h.
Ita is expected to travel southeast over the next 24 hours, causing heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding with the Bureau of Meterology predicting isolated 24 hour totals in excess of 300mm.
Wind gusts of up to 100km per hour are likely to hit areas between Port Douglas and Innisfail and may extend to Cardwell and down to Townsville and Mackay overnight.
The cyclone is expected to move away from the Queensland coast over Monday and Tuesday with rainfall decreasing in the tropical north from tomorrow.
Residents between Cape Tribulation and Mackay, including Cairns and Townsville, are advised to take necessary precautions for extreme weather conditions.
Those living between Mackay and Yeppoon have been urged to consider an action plan if the cyclone threat increases over the coming days.
9.04pm: QUEENSLANDERS from Cooktown to Proserpine will be swamped by floodwaters and torrential downpours as Cyclone Ita continues to menace the state's north.
Several towns were cut off by floodwaters as the former Category 5 system dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain in its track towards the Whitsundays.
Cyclone Ita crossed the coast at Cape Flattery late Friday night, packing 230km/h winds. It damaged dozens of houses and a historic hotel in Cooktown.
But the feared super-storm did not eventuate as Ita had lost much of its intensity before it reached Cooktown.
A southbound Cyclone Ita could dump up to 300mm of rain on populated coastal communities in central Qld.
But as the risk of strong winds and a storm surge eased, flooding emerged as the biggest challenge facing the entire northern coastal region between Cooktown and Proserpine as Ita set course to the south.
The Insurance Council of Australia declared it a "catastrophe".
Premier Campbell Newman warned the state was not out of the woods, and singled out Ingham as one town likely to be facing a "significant flood risk".
"It will track down the coast, it's believed, as a tropical cyclone, Category 1, heading down all the way through to the Whitsundays and then it starts to head out into the ocean," Mr Newman said.
"We can expect significant rainfall right down the coast. That means we are going to see significant flooding of various coastal rivers and creek systems. It means that roads will be blocked and impassable for some hours and maybe even some days. It means there are significant hazards on those creek crossings."
Campbell Newman has postponed a planned visit to Cooktown as strong winds make helicopter travel unsafe.
6.30pm: Premier Campbell Newman asked residents to band together in the coming days and weeks as the recovery task begins.
"There's a large team of people just raring to go, to get into the affected areas to support you." he said.
"We all want to get there as soon as possible to help out, to put things back together, to clean up.
"But frankly this event is still occurring. This is still a cyclone, a tropical cyclone of category one and it does come with quite strong gale force winds and there are real difficulties currently with us getting in to certain areas.
"I ask that Queenslanders work together as a team to look after each other and to make sure that we get through this event.
"No one has been forgotten. We will get in there and make things right as soon as we can."
Mr Newman said Cyclone Ita was about 50 to 60km north of Cairns and was moving in a south-easterly direction on the edge of the coast.
"It will track down the coast, it's believed, as a tropical cyclone, category one, heading down all the way through to the Whitsundays and then it starts to head out into the ocean.
"What the weather bureau are telling us is that we can expect significant rainfall right down the coast. Falls of up to 300mm in locations can occur all the way down to Yeppoon near Rockhampton.
"That means we are going to see significant flooding of various coastal rivers and creek systems. It means that roads will be blocked and impassable for some hours and maybe even some days. It means there are significant hazards on those creek crossings and again I urge people to restrict their travel. The best way people can remain safe is to sit in their homes and wait this one out.
"I am advised that there could be a significant flood risk for Ingham."
He said about four buildings in Cooktown had been completely destroyed, four severely damaged, four moderately damaged and 42 with minor damage with about 320 people remaining in the cyclone shelter.
About 1300 customers are without power but the area has mobile services.
"The hospital and local shops appear to have only sustained minor damage," he said.
Mr Newman said authorities were having difficulties accessing the community of Hopevale with both power and the mobile service out.
"There are 30 to 40 trees across the road leading in and I understand residents… have started their own clean-up," he said.
"Compared to Cooktown it appears it has been less of a damaging event."
In Wujal Wujal about 350 customers are without power with the town isolated by flooded roads.
The roof of the West Coast Hotel after being peeled off during the night. Source: CourierMail
Mr Newman said the rain was causing problems in Cairns.
"In Kuranda we have seen significant damage to a house and moderate damage to three others due to trees coming down. In Mossman 10 to 15 homes have suffered flood damage. In Port Douglas there have been 25 to 30 residents isolated because of flooding," he said.
"Powerlines are down on the Captain Cook Highway. "
He said customers were also without power in Mossman and Port Douglas while about 400 customers are without power on the Tablelands and about 1400 customers without power in Atherton.
5.44pm: Premier Campbell Newman has announced the appointment of Inspector Kevin Gutteridge, who has been working on the mystery disappearance and then reappearance of toddler Chloe Campbell, as state disaster recovery coordinator to help the north recover from Cyclone Ita.
Mr Newman warned the state was not out of the woods just yet, however, with heavy falls of up to 300mm expected all the way down the coast as far as Yeppoon as the cyclone moved down the coast and out to sea.
There are 13,119 people without power across the northern tropics as electricity providers struggle to gain access to some areas.
As Tropical Cyclone Ita continues south, almost 7000 residents around Cairns have experienced power outages.
A home loses its roof in Cooktown. Source: News Corp Australia
Meanwhile in Cooktown, 1600 people remain without power when services were disrupted last night.
Another 1100 around Kurranda – just outside Cairns – have also been in the dark since about midnight last night.
In a release issued this afternoon Ergon Energy said: "People should understand these power impacts could continue and we would expect further issues if current weather patterns and localised flooding continues."
In some areas, generators have been supplying power to hospitals, supermarkets and shelters.
5:00pm: Cyclone Ita was estimated to be 20 km south-southwest of Port Douglas and 45 km west northwest of Cairns, and moving south southeast at 11 kilometres per hour.
Tropical Cyclone Ita is forecast to move to the southeast during the next 24 hours, most likely close to or just offshore of the southern tropical and central coast, and is now expected to maintain tropical cyclone intensity.
Damage to a house in Cooktown. Pic: Tess Photography. Source: Supplied
4.48pm: Cooktown has cut their limited water supply altogether because people have been letting it wash down the drain while the rest of the town suffers.
The shire's mayor Peter Scott said they had been slowly connecting some residents to a small reservoir of available clean water until they were able to reconnect the town's main supply.
But some people had been using it to clean their driveways and wash their walls, so they were forced to cut the supply altogether.
"We can't reconnect people until we get the message out about water restrictions; we're on level three at the moment, but some people are either being silly or just don't know about it."
The main reservoir sits about 20km out of town, but authorities are currently unable to reach it because of bad conditions on the roads.
3.30pm: SMALLER Far North communities have emerged from Cyclone Ita better than expected, but serious flooding will leave many cut off for several days.
Laura Amateur Turf Club caretaker Len Davis said the tiny Cook Shire town and its several stores had escaped the storm with little to no structural damage overnight, describing the town's iconic Quinkan Hotel as "good as gold".
He said residents had used rope to tie down their rooves before fleeing their homes to take shelter in the Quinkan and Regional Cultural Centre to see out the worst of Ita last night.
Strong gales and heavy rain continues to batter Cooktown as locals assess the damage caused by cyclone Ita.
The town's turf club is also surprisingly "fine and dandy", he said, with no damage to the $1 million-worth of facilities and only several fallen branches.
But a swollen Laura River is wreaking havoc on the roads, cutting access to and from the town at the northern bridge, which Mr Davies said was flooding more than 2.6m over at midday today.
The town has received almost 140mm of rain between 9am Friday and midday today and it's still pouring, with Mr Davies saying he expected flooding of Rifle Creek at Mt Molloy and McLeod River just north of Mt Carbine as the day progressed, causing further grief.
Family of five rescued from floowaters near Cooktown. Pic: Ch 7 Source: CourierMail
"At this stage it will be up to five days before the northern bridge dies down enough for anyone to get across," he said.
Lakeland has been inundated with rain and Honey Dam spilled last night, cutting the main road out of town towards Cape York for at least the rest of today.
Access has also been cut to the town's biggest banana farm, Swiss Farms, where owner Peter Inderbitzin said almost 30 per cent of his banana trees had been knocked down and the ground was scattered with fallen fruit.
But he is grateful his farm hadn't worn more damage.
"We didn't quite reach our target for getting fruit packed away before it hit, but we've been lucky that most of what we missed is salvageable," he said.
He said he hoped to get a tractor through to the property on Monday to begin "some serious recovery" and several days of clean up "just to get picking started again".
The town itself had avoided any structural damage, he said, and nobody had been injured.
"There's a lot of debris floating around the streets, but nothing we can't handle," he said.
Further north, Rachel Nowlan from the Exchange Hotel, Coen, north west of Cape Melville, said it was likely the town "would be landlocked" and access to and from cut or restricted for up to a week due to a flooded Archer River in the north and flooded connection roads to the south.
She said Coen had become home to most of the Lama Lama indigenous people who lived in Port Stewart, east of Coen, after they were evacuated yesterday, and Coen had felt little effect from Ita minus rain this morning.
Communication has been cut to Hope Vale, with almost no news emerging from the small indigenous community north west of Cooktown since Ita struck the area last
Military helicopters are on standby to help residents in Queensland's cyclone-ravaged far north.
1.05pm: Eight bridges have now been flooded in northern parts of the state as flood waters continue to rise.
The Clohesy River at Bolton Road has been inundated the most, struggling below almost 7.2m of water.
Perhaps the most significant, however, is in the Daintree Village, where the Daintree River has swallowed the bridge under 6.65m of water and is continuing to rise quickly.
Other areas affected include the Mulgrave River – about 43km south of Cairns – which is covering bridges at The Fisheries by almost 2.8m and is still rising.
Myola – about 30km north of Cairns – has 1.4m of water covering bridges there and is also rising.
1pm: THE Cairns Airport is commencing limited operations in and out of Cairns this afternoon.
Different airlines will operate their own schedules, with Jetstar conducting limited operations from 1.50pm and Virgin operating one flight from Cairns to Brisbane at 5.55pm.
Roof torn from home in Cooktown. Picture: Peter Michael Source: CourierMail
The airport is asking all passengers to contact their airlines directly to confirm their flight before attempting to travel to the airport.
Limited services are open inside the terminal.
All domestic and international flights are expected to return to normal through the course of the day tomorrow.
12.45pm: THERE are reports the Bruce Highway may be cut at Edmonton, with a hazard reported in all directions.
The Traffic and Travel Information group is reporting water over the road approximately 300m south of Petersen Road.
12.35pm: Cyclone Ita has been downgraded to a category one, but warnings for flooding and damaging winds remain in place.
Gusts of up to 120km/hr are expected in areas south of Cooktown to Port Douglas this afternoon, while gales of up 100km/hr could extend to places as far north as Cape Flattery and as far south as Cardwell.
Heavy rain continues to batter the coastal towns, with a flood warning issued from Cooktown to Cairns as the tide rises this afternoon.
The storm is expected to gradually contract as it moves southward over the weekend, before moving out to the Coral Sea early next week.
Get Cyclone Ita updates on Facebook
Got a storm picture? SMS it to 0428 258 117
Pictures from Cooktown as dawn breaks. A house demolished next to historic James Cook Museum. Picture: Peter Michael. Source: CourierMail
Cooktown residents will assesses damage caused by Cyclone Ita after it ripped through the town last night.
Severe tropical cyclone Ita has weakened slightly after crossing the far north Queensland coast.
Got a storm picture? SMS it to 0428 258 117.
Note: Earlier reporting has been truncated from this rolling report.
