 afternoon folks we're ready yep okay I've been briefed by the Bureau of Meteorology this afternoon and senior officers of our emergency response team I can confirm that tropical cyclone Yahtzee has now entered Australia's cyclone watch area and a cyclone watch has been issued this afternoon and we expect to be moving into full cyclone warnings around lunchtime tomorrow the cyclone watch has been issued for the area from Cairns to Ypun all local disaster management groups in that area have been activated and as a precaution we are in fact preparing in areas as far north as Cooktown and as far south as Meribara all of the models I'm advised all of the models of this cyclone are all consistent they all say that we are facing a very large system and that system is intensifying it is expected currently forecast to be a category for cyclone off the coast by Wednesday morning we are it is heading on all models directly west into the Queensland coast and as I said currently predicted to be a category 4 off the coast by mid-morning Wednesday it's expected at this stage to make landfall or to cross the coast anywhere from late Wednesday evening to early Thursday morning so sometime overnight on Wednesday this week the most likely place that it will cross according to current models is the area between Innisfail and Mackay we are taking precautions as I said from as far north as Cooktown to as far south as Meribara but the particularly the region that we are focusing on the most is the area between Innisfail and Mackay we expect to see gales in that Innisfail to Mackay region of more than a hundred kilometres an hour by mid-morning on Wednesday that means that we need to be making as many preparations as possible in that region in the next 36 hours to that end some nursing homes will begin as a precaution making evacuations in that region this afternoon we are encouraging people in that region to take this very seriously and to make sure that you are stocking up and preparing yourselves your homes and your family for a very significant event I we've also been doing a significant work today on the possibility or the likelihood that this event will be accompanied by a significant storm surge that will cause flooding on coastal areas in that region mayors have for some time done very comprehensive mapping councils in that area to identify what might be at risk if there is a storm surge the Bureau's modelling today indicates that this is an event likely to be accompanied by a significant storm surge so in addition to the effects of a cyclone we are preparing in that Innisfail to Mackay region now for potential flooding of low lying waterfront areas I'll be on a phone hookup later this afternoon with the mayors in that area but the best advice that we can give to people in low lying waterfront areas between Innisfail and Mackay is that they start to give consideration to possible relocations sometime on Tuesday if people have friends that they can relocate with they need to start talking to them and making plans for themselves and their families on a few other things the Whitsunday Islands Hamilton Island has started a partial evacuation of guests on the island other Whitsunday Islands are currently considering their evacuation plans and likely to begin that process tomorrow all ports from cans to Mackay will be closed by tomorrow late tomorrow afternoon this is a very serious threat we have to take this very seriously and we are preparing for it in addition to a very significant cyclone possibly one of the largest we have ever seen in Queensland we expect to see this event become a significant rainfall event in areas to the south and surrounding where it crosses the coast that means we can expect very significant rainfall in some cases up to a metre into catchments that are already very saturated we are currently doing modelling on what that might mean particularly into areas such as the central and western areas of Queensland this is such a large system the Bureau does not expect that it will dissipate quickly when it crosses as you've seen Anthony do today but for that rainfall to continue very significantly into those catchments which as you know we've already seen very significant flooding in so we are doing everything we can to prepare in the couple of days that we have we have deployed resources across the likely affected areas swift water rescue teams have been deployed into the major areas as have other rescue teams and additional police are being deployed into this region today this is an event that we have to take seriously i know as many other Queenslanders do that cyclones can at the last minute turn off the coast and i certainly hope that that's what this one does but the Bureau advises me in the most serious terms that all of the models all of the modeling right now says this is going to cross our coast likely sometime in the next two to three days and it may will be one of the largest and most significant cyclones that we've ever had to deal with the most likely area that it will fall into as i said in has failed to Mackay these are very highly populated areas so we will need to take every precaution and make every preparation and that is what we are doing and we are encouraging residents to do exactly the same do you have anything you wanted to add thank you premier as has been our practice and as has been our underlying principle for the last six weeks personal safety is the key to this event we ask people to take whatever action it is necessary to protect themselves and their loved ones relocation should be considered by people who are in low-lying areas this is a very very serious threat to the safety of our coastline and the safety of our community certainly there are a range of of preparatory things that people can do they are the same as for Anthony that is to ensure that people are stocked up with necessities making sure that batteries torches water food stuffs those types of necessities are in the home ready to be used people need to be self-sufficient or be in the position to be self-sufficient for a couple of days following and during this this very very serious event thank you what would you expect to or would you expect to have to force people to evacuate in this stage? That's not currently on our agenda but I have overnight last night declared the Townsville and Mackay regions disaster regions for the purpose of ensuring that police have the powers they need if they believe in the interests of public safety that relocations need to happen at this stage we are encouraging people to prepare for this event we will be able to give much more precise information tomorrow in after the next round of modeling on the cyclone once it gets a bit closer to the coast and when we've overlaid that information with the information councils have about the likely impact of a storm surge Is this a case of go early and go hard and get that This is a very serious threat I can't underestimate the possible threat to people who live in this region but it's equally important to make sure that we're taking every possible preparation look I hope that we're wrong I hope this cyclone turns around I hope that on Thursday and Friday we're all breathing a big sigh of relief but I would rather that people and their families were inconvenienced for two or three days by moving out of home than finding themselves in a potentially life-threatening situation on Thursday because they didn't take the right precautions so we've certainly looking at not only a significant cyclone we are looking at a cyclone that will be associated with a storm surge on coastal areas which could bring significant flooding with it and then we are looking at that rainfall incident moving inland into the central and western regions that could bring further flooding immediately after the cyclone so the next the next week is shaping up as one that will require a lot of work from our emergency people and I just ask people just as we've seen in the last four weeks please cooperate with the warnings please cooperate with police and emergency workers we're doing our best to keep you safe this because of the the way that cyclones rotate they will see more rainfall and more wind to the south of wherever it crosses so obviously it depends on exactly where it crosses but we will expect to see rainfall anywhere within a hundred kilometers about two to three hundred kilometers south of wherever it hits so we do expect that's why we're preparing for potential flash flooding and other events not cyclonic but nevertheless have to be managed as far south as Meribara. Have you been given any assurances by from the weather bureau that we won't see significant rain in the southeast given the flooding that's happened down here in the last week? Certainly the current advice from the bureau on the current forecasting of this cyclone is that we wouldn't expect to see significant rainfall as a result of it into the southeast but of course this cyclone could end up coming further south and we'll know that better tomorrow and the day after but on current forecasting that's the case we will have a much better idea tomorrow depending on where this cyclone how it tracks overnight where it is likely to make a land crossing and where we're likely to see gale force winds when we have that information where will be every school in the region has a phone tree and every preparation is being made to advise parents as quickly as possible about when schools will be shut. Of course unlike the most recent events we are now back in school time and we will be making every necessary preparation to make sure parents know what's happening with their child's school probably. Premier, yes we are obviously we'd ask that people defer travel into the the primary zone and certainly into any of North Queensland at the moment. I think that that it would be a very very sensible concept in terms of trying to protect all of our people. In particular we're concerned about tourists who aren't used to the conditions in this state and we would ask that the tourist industry give good advice to tourists who may be considering that type of travel. No certainly with cyclone shelter in place is the primary underlying principle with the housing that's been built of in the modern era ever since we've had a series of cyclone events in the 60s and 70s. Building codes are such that housing in those areas are built specifically to withstand the rigors of cyclonic winds. They are much better sheltering in place. The only reason we're advising people in low-lying areas to consider possible relocation is because of what may be significant flooding associated with a storm surge rather than the winds of the cyclone if you like. Potentially on the current tracking this cyclone is scheduled to hold its formation for some time and to deliver significant rainfall. As I said it the Bureau is indicating it could be as high as a metre in some places and the central highlands and then further into the western districts are the most likely at risk at this stage and as we know those catchments are already very full so there are a number of aspects of this event yet to play out. So places like Emerald and Condemn are already flooded with that? We couldn't rule out further flooding in areas that have already experienced significant flooding in the last four weeks if this cyclone behaves in the way that it's currently predicted to do. Should ASQ water be releasing some water supplies from that? There isn't at this stage that has not been at the sorry at this stage there is no indication that we can expect this sort of rainfall into the southeast but that's something that will be monitored every day. There are a number of mining companies who I know are impatient to get back and be fully operational and we want them operational as soon as we can because they're big employers but we also want them to do that in a way that is environmentally responsible. We will not be giving a blanket permit for every mine to dewater their pits. We need to test that water we need to make sure of its issues like its salinity and its contamination and we will not be giving a blanket permit for mines to empty highly salinated potentially contaminated water into drinking waterways and to waterways that go on to the Great Barrier Reef. What we are doing is working with every single mining company individually. Many of them have already been tested and released but we will not be giving blanket excuses or permits if you like to these mining companies. They will be tested and monitored before they can release any of this water. So I understand they're impatient but we're going to put environmental responsibility at an equally high level. When should the next briefing for the State Disaster Management Group meet at five o'clock this afternoon when there will be some renewed modelling available for the group and I'll certainly make that available if there is any further advice at that time. Yes, at five o'clock. Thank you.