Article Summary:

As I write this Northern Queensland is being battered by Cyclone Yasi. The BBC reports that winds are reaching up to 290km/h (181mph), buildings are having their roofs ripped off and power has been cut to at least 100,000 people. The storm has struck south of Cairns and is moving inland, with forecasters warning of more severe damage for towns in its path. Yasi was originally classed as a category five cyclone as it crossed the coast which is the highest grade in the scale used to measure such storms. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology later downgraded the storm to category four but still classified it as dangerous.

Many Wetpixel members are in the path of this storm, and we fervently hope they and their loved ones will be OK.