The message for residents in the Central Highlands is be alert, but not alarmed as Cyclone Debbie bears down on the tropical North Queensland coast.
Central Highlands’ Mayor Cr Kerry Hayes said today that local plans to deal with any weather event from the cyclone are well in place.
‘The focus right now is on the coast and we certainly feel for those people who are facing down what looks like a rough couple of days.
‘But the path of a cyclone is extremely unpredictable and today we can only plan for the worst and hope for the best.
‘As far as we know, the north and west of the Central Highlands region can expect very heavy rain over the next few days and the whole of the region will experience very high wind gusts—perhaps up to 90km/h.
‘The most important things to concentrate on are:
- If you’re likely to be isolated, make sure you have enough food and medication for seven days.
- If it’s flooded, forget it. Do not attempt to drive through flooded roads in any circumstance.
- Prepare for lengthy interruptions to the electricity supply.
- Prepare your home and surrounds to cope with high winds.
‘We are well-resourced and experienced when it comes to dealing with this type of weather event and I want to re-assure everyone that our full complement of SES volunteers and other emergency personnel will remain in this area to attend to our needs first.