CNN.com – Cyclone hits Australia ‘like atomic bomb’ – Mar 20, 2006: “CAIRNS, Australia (AP) — Amazingly, there were no fatalities and only 30 people suffered minor injuries as cyclone Larry pounded northeastern Queensland state early Monday with winds gusting to 290 kilometers per hour (180 mph). Damage was expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Hardest hit was Innisfail, a farming city of 8,500 people 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the tourist city of Cairns.

‘It looks like an atomic bomb hit the place,’ Innisfail mayor Neil Clarke told Australian television. ‘It is severe damage. This is more than a local disaster, this is a national disaster.’ (Watch how Larry tore into the Australian coast — 2:10)

The town urgently needed accommodation for people whose homes were damaged, a power supply to feed hospitals and other infrastructure, he said, adding: ‘We won’t even have any water to drink by tomorrow.’

There was no official count of the homeless Monday, but given the number of homes badly damaged, the figure could run into the thousands, Clarke said.

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