'One in three' roofs gone

By Dylan Welch and David Braithwaite
March 20, 2006 - 5:11PM

One in three houses have lost their roofs and at least 30 people have been hurt in the northern Queensland region where Tropical Cyclone Larry made landfall.

More than half of the houses and buildings in the small town of Innisfail, about 100km south of Cairns, suffered major damage when the category five storm hit about 4am, said Sergeant Gary Burkin of Innisfail police.

Larry has since been downgraded to category two.

"There's some buildings that have totally collapsed," Sergeant Burkin said. "It's greater than 50 per cent [damage] for housing and buildings."

About a third of houses at Innisfail - which has a population of about 8000 - had lost their roofs, said Queensland Counter Disaster and Rescue Services (CDRS) executive director Frank Pagano.

The damage was even greater at nearby Babinda, home to 1200 people, where 80 per cent of homes and 100 per cent of crops had been damaged.

The damage in Innisfail and Babinda was "absolutely huge", said Queensland Emergency Services spokeswoman Kathryn Ryan.

"There have been homes completely destroyed all over the place, the town is completely littered with debris, every tree in the place has been uprooted, there are powerlines everywhere."

There have been 30 casualties, including a fractured leg, a fractured ankle as well as minor cuts and abrasions, across Mareeba, Atherton, Innisfail and Babinda, reported the Counter Disaster Rescue Service at 3pm.

No serious injuries or missing persons were reported. [...]