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4 February 2011
Last updated at 00:39 ET
Australians have begin counting the cost of the worst storm in a century and have found one man dead amid huge swathes of destruction.
Emergency teams are cutting through fallen trees, wrecked housing and fallen powerlines to reach towns badly hit on Wednesday by Cyclone Yasi.
Officials have appealed for calm while rescuers try to reach residents.
The storm shattered coastal communities while leaving the cities of Cairns and Townsville relatively unscathed.
"It's a war zone," said Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, after a 30-minute tour of the town of Tully.
The one known fatality so far was apparently by suffocation caused by the fumes of the generator the deceased was running in an enclosed space.
"This is a tragic loss of life and again our condolences go to that young man's family and friends," said Queensland State Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts.
Despite the scale of devastation - and high economic costs expected - the low death toll so far has been surprising.
Still counting Two people have been reported missing however, and it remains unknown how people in some areas have fared.
"What we know is we didn't see a mass loss of life in evacuation centres so that's a great relief," state Premier Anna Bligh said.
But she said there could be "some sad news in the next couple of days" as rescue work progressed.
Tens of thousands of people are staying in evacuation centres or surviving in battered homes without power or water.
Communication links have yet to be restored to many areas.
The towns of Mission Beach and Cardwell are still cut off; Cardwell suffered flooding after taking the full brunt of the storm.
Aerial images show city blocks in Cardwell reduced to mud, and boats thrown inland and stacked on top of each other.
But large teams of rescuers are heading towards those towns, officials said, as they asked for people to be patient.
Access problems "We do understand that many people in the highly-impacted areas are getting anxious about the level of support and contact they are able to have with emergency authorities," Mr Roberts told reporters.
"We just ask them to be patient.
"But there have been significant difficulties in terms of access. Roads are cut... there is heavy debris on many," he said.
"Our guys are equipped with chain saws and they physically cut their way and clear the road as they make their way in," said Peter Dawson of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.
Residents in Cardwell have told reporters that they are hoping for rescuers to reach them, and feel numb and scared after the week of turmoil.
The weather is still not helping - constant, heavy rain and some flooding are blocking efforts to reach some areas.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been lost in banana and sugar cane plantations but it is still too early for a full disaster assessment to be complete.
Thousands of soldiers have been drafted to help with the cleanup operation, alongside hundreds of police and emergency service workers.
Flood warnings have been issued along the coast of Queensland and in some inland areas.
The storm came after the state had already endured huge flooding which killed 35 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
"A lot of us feel like we're on our own again," said Lisa Smith, a resident in Cardwell whose house has lost half its roof.
"I just hope we don't get forgotten."
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Emergency teams are cutting through fallen trees, wrecked housing and fallen powerlines to reach towns badly hit on Wednesday by Cyclone Yasi.
Officials have appealed for calm while rescuers try to reach residents.
The storm shattered coastal communities while leaving the cities of Cairns and Townsville relatively unscathed.
"It's a war zone," said Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan, after a 30-minute tour of the town of Tully.
The one known fatality so far was apparently by suffocation caused by the fumes of the generator the deceased was running in an enclosed space.
"This is a tragic loss of life and again our condolences go to that young man's family and friends," said Queensland State Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts.
Despite the scale of devastation - and high economic costs expected - the low death toll so far has been surprising.
Still counting Two people have been reported missing however, and it remains unknown how people in some areas have fared.
"What we know is we didn't see a mass loss of life in evacuation centres so that's a great relief," state Premier Anna Bligh said.
But she said there could be "some sad news in the next couple of days" as rescue work progressed.
Tens of thousands of people are staying in evacuation centres or surviving in battered homes without power or water.
Communication links have yet to be restored to many areas.
The towns of Mission Beach and Cardwell are still cut off; Cardwell suffered flooding after taking the full brunt of the storm.
Aerial images show city blocks in Cardwell reduced to mud, and boats thrown inland and stacked on top of each other.
But large teams of rescuers are heading towards those towns, officials said, as they asked for people to be patient.
Access problems "We do understand that many people in the highly-impacted areas are getting anxious about the level of support and contact they are able to have with emergency authorities," Mr Roberts told reporters.
"We just ask them to be patient.
"But there have been significant difficulties in terms of access. Roads are cut... there is heavy debris on many," he said.
"Our guys are equipped with chain saws and they physically cut their way and clear the road as they make their way in," said Peter Dawson of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.
Residents in Cardwell have told reporters that they are hoping for rescuers to reach them, and feel numb and scared after the week of turmoil.
The weather is still not helping - constant, heavy rain and some flooding are blocking efforts to reach some areas.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been lost in banana and sugar cane plantations but it is still too early for a full disaster assessment to be complete.
Thousands of soldiers have been drafted to help with the cleanup operation, alongside hundreds of police and emergency service workers.
Flood warnings have been issued along the coast of Queensland and in some inland areas.
The storm came after the state had already endured huge flooding which killed 35 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
"A lot of us feel like we're on our own again," said Lisa Smith, a resident in Cardwell whose house has lost half its roof.
"I just hope we don't get forgotten."
Have you been affected? Send us your experiences using the form below:
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Powered By WizardRSS