A "keep left" sign flies past down the street after being ripped from its post as the wind and rain reach their peak as the eye of the cyclone gets closer, in the main street of Bowen in North Queensland. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen / The Australian

The mop up for the worst cyclone to hit the state since Yasi in 2011 will start at first light today, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk predicting “shock and awe” across the Whitsunday region.

The storm and its 260km/h winds downed trees, stripped buildings and left shorelines swamped after making landfall as a Category 4 storm near Airlie Beach at midday yesterday.

Debbie was downgraded to a Category 2 storm at 7pm, but there are now concerns for the 2000 residents of Collinsville, who have never encountered a cyclone of Debbie’s force.

Ms Palaszczuk has warned the state will be dealing with the impact of the “scary” cyclone for the next three to five days as it moved down the coast.

“I think there is going to be a lot of shock and awe in the morning,” she told Ten News, later admitting even she was “bracing” for dawn.

A light plane at Bowen airport is overturned by the wind speed from Cyclone Debbie. Picture: Channel 9Source:Supplied

EXTENT OF DAMAGE REMAINS TO BE SEEN

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said the full damage caused by Debbie would not be seen until today.

“Tomorrow we’ll see lots of structural damage. I’m just hoping we don’t see loss of life,” he said last night.

Winds were so severe a man, believed to be aged in his 60s, was badly injured after a wall collapsed on him in Proserpine.

Pictures shared on social media by Airlie Beach locals showed backyards strewn with tree branches, damaged cars and toppled fences.

One person said a neighbour’s caravan “exploded” and sent fragments through their roof, while another resident said she had a “mini-cyclone” in her bedroom after a double-glass window blew in.

Proserpine-based Whitsundays councillor John Collins said the initial winds sounded “like a jumbo jet is parked on my roof”.

“I’ve been through a few cyclones that are quick and nasty but this one is going to go all day,” he told AAP. “This is going to be a terrible disaster when it is all over and done with.”

An ancient tree is uprooted by Cyclone Debbuie in Mackay. Picture: SuppliedSource:News Corp Australia

Cyclone Debbie rainfall prediction. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

ADF MOBILISES

The Australian Defence Force has mobilised soldiers, vehicles, aircraft and other resources to respond to Debbie, which the Insurance Council of Australia has declared a “catastrophe”.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the ADF pre-deployment was the largest of its kind in advance of a natural disaster.

State Recovery Co-ordinator Brigadier Chris Field, who co-ordinated clean-up efforts after Yasi, said the army would be well suited to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

Brigadier Field told reporters in Townsville: “The engineering capabilities that the Australian Defence Force have are really designed to clear debris and get particularly roads open so that the community can go about their business.”

Ms Palaszczuk also had strong words for those spotted boogie-boarding in seas churned up by the dangerous weather, declaring: “I was absolutely appalled”.

Cyclone Debbie tore roofs off buildings in Airlie Beach. Picture: Ella RichmondSource:Supplied

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

There are also serious concerns for the region’s 2017 sugar cane crop which is estimated at $1.1 billion.

Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Queensland Police, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan have announced disaster assistance, provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).

The storm earlier pounded the Whitsunday Islands, with gusts of 263km/h recorded at Hamilton Island while the jetty at Daydream Island appeared to have washed away.

More than 48,000 homes were without power across the Bowen, Mackay and Whitsunday regions and more than 400 schools and childcare centres closed.

Forecasters are also warning people to remain vigilant about damaging deluges following the cyclone, with significant rain expected down the coast towards the state’s southeast.

It was downgraded to a category three cyclone just after 3pm but strong winds continued to lash Airlie Beach, Proserpine and Bowen later in the afternoon. By 7pm, Debbie was a category two system tracking west southwest.

Satellite image of Cyclone Debbie as it crossed the coastline of Queensland. Picture: SuppliedSource:No Source

Originally published as Cyclone to reveal ‘shock and awe’