As I write, Northern Queensland is braced to bear the worst tropical cyclone Australia has ever experienced. In 1974, Cyclone Tracy caused utter devastation in Darwin but was smaller than the system that is steaming into Townsville and environs at the moment.
What the outcome will be we have no idea and, at present, can only hope and pray that there is no loss of life and minimal injuries for the thousands taking shelter from what looks to be a truly catastrophic storm.
Throughout the preparations, @QPMedia, the Queensland Police media team have used every channel available to them to warn, cajole, encourage, advise and inform the people of North Queensland ahead of this disaster. Facebook pages, Twitter streams, live streaming, audio - everything has been pulled together to give maximum warning and information to those affected. And all this just weeks after floods ravaged the Sunshine State. The picture below, circulating on Twitter today, shows Tracy on the left and Yasi on the right.
Communicating in any disaster is a huge undertaking - to have to deal with two disasters in quick succession is beyond pretty much everyone's experience. 
Tropical Cyclone Yasi is due to hit land at around 10pm EST - about 1am NZT - and, like many others, I'll be praying that those in the shelters, still at home or trying to get out of the path of the storm are safe. I also hope that we will all be able to do something to sort out the inevitable aftermath that will have to be dealt with.
In the meantime, safe passage to all involved and I would publicly pay my respects to those who have tried so hard to communicate the scope of the situation in such difficult circumstances.
