Australians flee as \'catastrophic\' Cyclone Yasi approaches

Thousands of Australians have left their homes for evacuation centres, as Cyclone Yasi - predicted to be the worst in the country\'s history, nears the Queensland coast. Many residents have stocked up on food and bedded down in shelters to protect themselves from the prospect of furious winds, rains and surging seas on a scale unseen there in generations.

Cyclone Yasi was upgraded overnight to a category five storm – the highest – and is due to hit the coast near Cairns at about midnight local time.

Queensland premier Anna Bligh said the last cyclone of such strength to cross Queensland was in 1918 and advised residents to \"just grab each other\" and find safety.

It\'s such a big storm, it\'s a monster, killer storm,\" she said. \"This impact is likely to be more life-threatening than any experienced during recent generations.\"

Bligh warned that the next 24 hours will see extremely dangerous conditions.

\"We are facing a storm of catastrophic proportions in a highly populated area,\" she said. \"All aspects of this cyclone are going to be terrifying and potentially very, very damaging.

\"Do not bother to pack bags. Just grab each other and get to a place of safety. Remember that people are irreplaceable,\" she said.

Bligh added that the greatest threat to life could come from tidal surges up to 7 metres above normal high tide levels. The storm is due to hit at high tide.

The bureau of meteorology said the impact of Cyclone Yasi is likely to be \"more life-threatening than any experienced during recent generations\".

Winds of up to 295km an hour are expected to bring widespread flooding with up to 400mm of rain predicted. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, packed winds of 340km an hour before it hit the coast.

The storm front is predicted to be 500km wide – about the distance from London to Edinburgh, when it hits the coast. More than 400,000 people live in the cyclone\'s path, including the cities of Cairns, Townsville and Mackay.


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