I don’t think that “frustrations” would complete say what I am feeling. There is a category 4 cyclone about 15-hours away from hitting the coast 100km north of us. To give you an idea of the strength I think that is the same category that Katrina was that hit New Orleans. From what I have read the categorization of Cyclones and Hurricanes is the same, the only difference is that they spin on opposite directions. They actually suspect that it will change to category 5 right before land fall.

For us couldn’t happen at a worse time. The house is lifted and ready to be lowered down onto the stumps, but it is not yet bolted down. The house is basically just floating on three large I-beams that you can see in some of my previous articles. They were due to come and actually bolt the house down tomorrow, but the cyclone is meant to hit tomorrow morning at about 7:00 am.

About the only thing that I can do now is pray and hope that the builder has insurance…

Here is a part of the latest warning from the Bureau of Meteorology:

Very destructive winds may develop on the coast between Cairns and Bowen on Monday morning, with maximum wind gusts reaching 280 km/h near the centre of the cyclone.

Coastal residents between Cairns and Townsville are specifically warned of the dangerous storm tide as the cyclone crosses the coast. The sea is likely to steadily rise up to a level which will be significantly above the normal tide, with damaging waves, strong currents and flooding of low-lying areas extending some way inland. People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible, and be prepared to follow advice regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by the authorities.

Heavy rains are likely to develop near the coast between Cairns and Mackay Monday morning and this will lead to significant stream and river rises and flooding of low lying areas.

You can follow the progress on the cyclone on the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Weather Warning Page.