Cyclone Batters Australia As Homes Destroyed

Cyclone Ita has struck northern Queensland in Australia, bringing torrential rain and gale force winds that destroyed four buildings and damaged many others.

But it was claimed the storm was not as destructive as it could have been with no reports of deaths or serious injuries.

On Friday, state premier Campbell Newman warned the region was "staring down quite a destructive cyclonic event".

Tens of thousands of people had been told to leave their homes as Ita approached coastal towns along the Great Barrier Reef.

Locals were put in rescue shelters and shops were boarded up with winds predicted to be up to 230kph (143mph) near the core.

Ita made landfall as a category four cyclone but hit with less force than first feared. It was later downgraded to a category one event.  

The storm brought down trees

Mr Newman said: "I am very relieved and greatly heartened that this time we've had no reports of any loss of life or any serious injuries."

Trees were brought down and some communities lost power as Ita crossed the far northern Queensland coast on Friday night near Cape Flattery.

It was expected to head back out to sea later near Townsville, dumping as much as 40cm of rain as it moved.

Emergency services helped with the clean-up operation

But Mr Newman urged residents to stay at home or in shelters as wind gusts of up to 120kph (75mph) and heavy rain were still forecast for some areas.

And the Australian Bureau of Meteorology warned there was a chance conditions could still deteriorate.

Cooktown resident Richard Anderson, whose house was hit by the storm, said the damage could have been a lot worse.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it could've been. It could have been really horrific.

"A lot more places might have been totally destroyed but I'm amazed how little damage there is but in certain spots it's pretty bad."

A satellite image of the cyclone

The storm was the strongest to approach the Queensland coast in three years.

It was classified as a tropical depression when it moved across the Solomon Islands late last week, killing at least 23 people, according to the United Nations.

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