Island resort on weather watch

Holidaymakers enjoying their stay on Lady Elliot Island yesterday afternoon, despite cyclone warnings.

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Further information

Local weather forecast

Bureau of Meteorology warnings

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THE operators of the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort are keeping a wary eye on Cyclone Ului, hovering about 1200km off the Queensland coast, in case they are forced to evacuate.

Resort managing director Peter Gash said there were 24 staff members and about 52 guests on the island, and they could be evacuated within an hour if required.

There were conflicting reports about the status of the island yesterday, with Heron Island evacuated and suggestions Lady Elliot would follow today.

“We have an evacuation plan, but we have no plans to evacuate,” Mr Gash said.

“But we are certainly watching it closely.”

Mr Gash said Lady Elliot was different to other resort islands because others were often reached by boat and it was served by air.

“We have eight aircraft. We can have everybody off the island in less than an hour if we need to,” he said.

Mr Gash said they would probably not need to make a decision on evacuation until tomorrow.

“At this stage the cyclone is moving very slowly and there is no certainty about where it is going to go,” he said.

“We still have to be cautious. We have to be on our toes.”

Resort manager Phill Trattles said yesterday conditions on the island were pleasant.

“We’re not having a bad day at all,” he said.

“We have 20-knot winds, the sun is shining and the snorkelling boats are still operating.”

He said the resort was liaising with emergency services and would take their advice.

Bundaberg’s district disaster co-ordinator, police Inspector Kevin Guteridge, said although there was no concern at present they were reviewing all their current processes.

“We need to be in a position to best manage the situation,” he said.

At present it looked like the cyclone might make landfall tomorrow or Saturday, but it may also not come near Bundaberg at all, he said.

Insp Guteridge said it was his aim to prevent or mitigate the loss of lives or damage to property, and the committee would work in conjunction with the SES on issues such as road closures or diversions and the closure of businesses.

“We have to ensure planning for any evacuation centres, and make sure they are fully resourced,” he said.

Meetings would be held today with Bundaberg region mayor Lorraine Pyefinch and state disaster management officials.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone was expected to begin moving closer to the coast today.