Howard to assess cyclone devastation

John Howard

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie will visit Innisfail today as the clean-up operation continues in the cyclone-ravaged north of Queensland. Mr Beattie will talk to the Prime Minister about appointing someone to oversee the rebuilding effort.

Mr Howard will tour the devastated north this morning and will announce more about the Commonwealth's response.

"I'll have something more to say both about our assessment of the extent of the damage and also the Federal Government's response," he said.

"We're working very closely with the Queensland Government and all the information I have is that the assistance is getting through very well."

Homes were unroofed and others destroyed when the category 5 cyclone hit the Johnstone Shire coast and roared across the Atherton Tablelands on Monday.

Mr Beattie, who is thinking of someone like the Sydney Olympics chief executive Sandy Hollway as reconstruction organiser, says he will talk about that and other issues with the Prime Minister.

"The Federal Government and the State Government are working very closely together," he said.

"I will go back with the Prime Minister - we have to put in place some strategies to help the rural sector and the small businesses."

Mr Beattie has urged businesses to support the Government's financial appeal.

He was in the shattered town on Monday night and yesterday and later in Brisbane he asked a business leaders lunch to donate to the Government's appeal.

"I would urge every one of you to contribute to it. Cyclone Larry has basically beaten the hell out of Innisfail and all those communities," he said.

Johnstone Shire Mayor Neil Clarke wants Mr Howard to understand the long-term effects, especially on farmers.

"They need money to start their whole industry off again, so we'll strongly be talking to the Prime Minister about that," he said.

Mr Clarke says he believes the overall financial cost of the disaster will greatly exceed the initial estimates.

"Between the primary industries, the rebuilding, getting all of these essential services in place, I would expect that the figure would come close to $1,000 million," he said.

Meanwhile, a Queensland task force set up to respond to major disasters is heading to the far north this morning to help.

The team is made up of 40 firefighters specially trained to rescue people in major disasters.

Acting manager of special operations, Gary Littlewood, says officers will apply their skills to help resurrect the region.

"It is the first time we have had the capability now for about six years. We are now registered on an international register to respond to earthquakes and terrorist overseas, but this is the first time we have been called within Australia," he said.

Counter Disaster and Rescue spokesman Wayne Couts says progress has been made but there is still a long way to go.

"Some of the towns around the area are starting to get their power and water back on - it's really good," he said.

"I was up at Babinda a little while ago and the jobs that are being done up there are fantastic, with the tarping in those areas, that'll make them feel a little better as well."

The Red Cross says residents evacuated from their homes in Silkwood and Tully have been allowed to return home.

The towns escaped the full force of Cyclone Larry and spokeswoman Kate Greenwood says Red Cross evacuation centres there have now been emptied.

"Those residents have been returning to their homes including certainly in Tully. We had a group of about 60 Japanese and Korean backpackers who have now been bused down to Townsville to our accommodation centre there and they'll be taken care of from there with meals and onward journeys," she said.

Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Wati is continuing to move toward the north Queensland coast.

It is now a category 3 cyclone and is about 630 kilometres north-east of Mackay.

Wati is moving west-north-west about 10 kilometres an hour and intensifying.

The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre says Wati is expected to remain slow moving offshore for the rest of the week

- RADIO AUSTRALIA