Australia hit by twin cyclones

TOWNSVILLE – The Australian Defence Force says it could send thousands more soldiers to Central Queensland, if needed, in areas devastated by Cyclone Marcia.

Townsville Brigadier Roger Noble said a small contingent of soldiers and defence force engineers were already on the ground in Rockhampton and Yeppoon helping where they could, including clearing trees felled by the storm.

Brigadier Noble said in previous major disasters an entire brigade of 3500 soldiers had been sent in, but sending that number to Central Queensland was unlikely.

“There is a whole pile of stuff to be done,” Brigadier Noble said. “It will depend on what the State Government will ask us to do and then we just build a team, send it down and just deliver.”

Two major storms slammed into Australia over the weekend, knocking out power, damaging homes and forcing evacuations in coastal areas.

Tropical Cyclone Marcia hit the Queensland coast between Yeppoon and St Lawrence on Friday morning local time.

Arriving with little warning as a Category Five storm, it was downgraded to a Two but still came with high tides and heavy rain.

Separately, Tropical Cyclone Lam hit a remote area of the Northern Territory.

It is estimated 1500 homes have been damaged and an estimated 100 families left homeless in Central Queenlsand.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said state and federal emergency assistance grants would be made available in the coming days, for those who needed it the most.

There were still 50,000 homes and businesses without power in the major centres of Rockhampton and Yeppoon on Monday with some smaller towns and regional centres entering their fourth day without power.

Electricity was restored to around 15,000 properties over the weekend, mostly in the Gladstone, Biloela, Monto and Wide Bay areas.

Power was also restored to most hospitals and health facilities in Rockhampton over the weekend.

Minister for Education Kate Jones said many state schools in Central Queensland would reopen today.

“People have been working around the clock to get as many schools open today as possible,” Jones said.

Meanwhile, in Gympie, north-west of Brisbane, 19 businesses were flooded when the Mary River peaked lower than expected. The river level is now receding.

Cyclone Lam, which arrived as a Category Four, struck close to the tiny and remote indigenous settlements of Elcho and Goulburn Island, east of Darwin.

Some communities had been evacuated ahead of the storm, but others spent the day in emergency shelters.