Thousands flee Australia cyclone

Although the damage reported from the cyclone has so far been limited, Anna Bligh, Queensland’s prime minister, has declared a “disaster situation” in response to the storm.

Sugar farmers in Queensland, who produce 95 per cent of Australia’s sugar crop, are already facing substantial losses, battling floods since December 2008 after a number of storms and cyclones.

Thousands of cattle are also thought to have died in earlier flooding in the area.