Hamilton Island a mess after Cyclone Debbie’s 263km/h winds
WHITSUNDAYS holiday paradise left a shell of its former self as residents and holiday-makers tell of 200km/h battering.
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CYCLONE Debbie was like “bloody mayhem”. That is the way one Hamilton Island holiday-maker is describing it.
Mat Garner said: “The roar was so loud, wind was phenomenal, all the windows rattled and shook violently!”
The Whitsunday Times reports that he and his family are currently still on lockdown in their holiday house in the north eastern corner of the island. It is still raining and windy but Mat said the direction of the wind has changed now and from where they are there is “heaps of damage”.
“There are houses with roofs ripped off, glass panels smashed, guttering missing, trees uprooted, golf buggies shredded ...
“I haven’t got down the marina front yet and I have to go check my uncle’s house next door once the winds go down a bit.”
Police are co-ordinating a search for two men on board a vessel that ran aground on rocks near Whitsunday Island last night.
It is believed the men were able to email family in New South Wales who in turn alerted police to their situation.
Former tropical cyclone Debbie is hindering search efforts.
The State Disaster Coordination Centre has requested aerial support at first light, expected around 6am.
Both the Whitsunday and Townsville Water Police will be deployed to assist when safe.
9news.com.au reports that a British expat riding out a holiday from hell on Hamilton Island has told how her room’s 17th floor balcony doors shattered at 2am last night, letting in wind gusts of more than 200km/hour.
The Melbourne PR account manager Sarah flew into Hamilton Island on Saturday with her parents who are visiting from the UK, a day before all flights were cancelled to and from the island.
Sarah told Nine.com.au she and her family were largely unaware Cyclone Debbie was looming off the coast and it was too late to leave when they found out.
As Cyclone Debbie began whipping up a frenzy last night, Sarah said she heard the balcony’s concertina doors suddenly explode about 2am.
“The windows blew open and then shattered. There was glass and paint everywhere and we were all huddling in my parent’s room,” Sarah said.
“The doors were banging and one came off the hinges and the curtains came off the rails.
“We were getting these 200km winds coming through the middle of the apartment. It was scary.”
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