North Queensland cyclone threat diminishes

A shed lies in ruins after being hit by winds generated by Cyclone Larry, south of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. Picture / Reuters

The cyclone threat in far north Queensland has diminished, with ex-Cyclone Larry downgraded to a tropical low. Tropical Cyclone Wati, which is out in the Coral Sea, is also expected to lose power and is unlikely to reach land fall.

But the weather bureau says the threat of strong winds has not passed and residents within the path of the low can expect gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

Geoff Callaghan, from the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, says normal precautions should be taken as the front moves south-west toward the border of the Northern Territory.

"Make sure everything's tied down so any loose objects won't float around," he said.

"In a well-constructed house there'll be no problem, but often people haven't checked their roofs and the roof nails loosen up and that's when it can pull off the roofing iron."

Mr Callaghan said at 2.45am AEST (4.45am NZT) the low was in a fairly remote part of Queensland.

"It's lost the characteristics of a tropical cyclone where all the heavy rain is right around a tight eye," he said.

"It's still a system that can produce some damaging winds and we've got a severe weather warning out now."

Hundreds of residents in far north Queensland remain homeless and thousands are without power and water after Cyclone Larry devastated the region.

The cyclone has caused few injuries but more than half of the homes in Innisfail have been destroyed.

Cairns police acting Inspector Mike Keating says it is a horrendous sight, with houses reduced to rubble.

He says residents on the Atherton Tablelands are also suffering.

"They are without power and that means they don't have water or sewage," he said.

Cyclone Larry, crossed the coast as a category 5 cyclone yesterday morning.

Many tourists were caught off guard by the cyclone.

At Tully, south of Cairns, Red Cross worker Noelene Byrne helped to evacuate dozens of young backpackers.

Many were staying at a local caravan park.

"They needed to be evacuated, so we ended up with about 70 young overseas tourists," she said.

"All of a sudden they find something like this happening, they were frightened."

The cyclone forced the closure of 156 state schools yesterday.

The state's Education Minister, Rod Welford, says most will reopen today.

"Many students in the outlying areas will still have difficulty getting to school through road closures and other problems of access," he said.

- RADIO AUSTRALIA