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Australian communities in the path of incoming Tropical Cyclone Jasper have been ordered to evacuate as the storm hurtles towards Queensland.
Jasper, currently a category 2 tropical cyclone, is set to make landfall at about lunchtime on Wednesday near Wujal Wujal in Cape York.
Cairns’ Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) urged residents in Cairns’s red zone — the areas at the highest risk of flooding from cyclone storm tide — to evacuate immediately due to the risk of a large storm surge when Jasper crosses the coast.
LDMG issued the alert at 3pm on Tuesday.
“Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to cause widespread storm surge in the red zone,” a LDMG spokesman said.
“People in the red zone should leave immediately to higher ground. You may be in danger when the cyclone crosses. Go immediately to higher ground to stay with family or friends away from the red zone surge areas.
“Properties in the orange zone [areas at high risk] may experience flooding.”
Properties in Cairns North, Cairns City, Portsmith and Parramatta Park are expected to be the worst impacted.
Residents should visit the Cairns Disaster Dashboard to check if they are in a storm tide zone.
Two evacuation centres have been set up, one at Redlynch State College Sports Hall and one at Edmonton Storm Tide Cyclone Shelter.
“Big waves and sea water will travel inland and through coastal creeks and rivers. This can flood and damage buildings, wash away roads and cars, and damage bridges,” the LDMG spokesman warned.
“Roads could be blocked by fallen trees, powerlines or flood water from the cyclone. There will be lots of wind and rain from the cyclone. There will be flooding in low-lying areas. Power, water, phone and sewerage services could stop working.”
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Far North residents can expect to feel gale force winds six hours ahead of the cyclone’s coastal crossing.
Cairns Airport was shut down on Tuesday with 18 arrival flights and seven departure flights cancelled. Chief executive officer Richard Barker said the airport was following its cyclone plan in line with advice from the BOM.
He urged both domestic and international travellers to stay away from the airport on Wednesday, as it would be closed due to the unsafe weather conditions.
Jasper is less than 300km from the Queensland coast and moving west.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services urged those in cyclone regions to prepare an emergency kit in a waterproof container in case disaster strikes.
They recommended residents stock up on three-days worth of food and water, battery-powered technology, first aid and pet supplies and keep important documents handy.
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