Brisbane - The flood ravaged northern Australian state of Queensland is now within 12 hours of facing down what experts are saying is the most powerful cyclone to hit Australia in generations.
Queensland's state disaster coordinator warned residents on Wednesday they will be on their own for up to 24 hours and as Tropical Cyclone Yasi pummels the state from later Wednesday.
State Premier Anna Bligh told journalists that the category five system will be the "most catastrophic storm ever" seen in Queensland.
The weather bureau said the huge cyclone is expected to slam into the coast between Innisfail and Cardwell at about midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) and will possibly wield winds up to 400kms an hour.
Samantha Klein from the Bureau of Meteorology told Xinhua that Cyclone Yasi has been upgraded to a category five cyclone, which is the most destructive classification of a cyclone. It is expected to smash into the northern coast of Queensland, making a direct hit on the city of Cairns.
It's expected to bring with it a six-meter storm surge, which will inundate most of the low-lying regions.
Bligh has been on media conferences across national television all day urging people to leave. "The window of opportunity to leave has now closed and the message to those residents who have not yet evacuated is to hunker down and hope for the best," said Bligh.
The latest information from the Australian weather bureau is that landfall is now expected at 10 pm. Residents have been told to stay put and bunker down and due to the size of the storm. Cyclonic conditions are expected to continue as far as 450 km inland.
