Monster Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland, Australia (VIDEOS)

Australians will be greeted by scenes of destruction at first light when the full impact of Cyclone Yasi, which hit land in far north Queensland overnight, is revealed.

The weather bureau reported wind gusts of up to 180 miles per hour from the Category 5 storm, which was being compared in size and intensity to Hurricane Katrina.

Even "cyclone-proof" homes may not have been able to withstand the pressure of such high-velocity winds, Reuters reported.

More than 400,000 people live in the storm's path. The stretch, popular with tourists, includes the Great Barrier Reef.

Early reports suggest the community of Mission Beach, near Cairns, where the Category-5 monster made landfall about midnight local time, was among the worst hit. Nearby Tully and Innisfail are also believed to be badly affected.

But Yasi's fury has been felt hundreds of miles in either direction.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said earlier Wednesday that evacuation shelters in the northern city of Cairns had filled to capacity with more than 9,000 people, forcing them to turn people away. Bligh earlier Wednesday warned residents and tourists to "just grab each other" and head to safety.

Cyclone Yasi, described as a "killer, monster" storm," is expected to be the strongest cyclone to ever hit Australia.

Cairns, home to 122,000 people and a popular destination for backpackers from around the world, lies in the path of the storm, and is expected to be hit by a storm surge up to 7 feet high. The storm surge could cause flooding that may be even more dangerous than the storm's wind, according to Bligh.

"It will be a display of the awesome power of nature but it's not something you want to go outside and watch," she said, as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Bligh earlier this week urged people in low-lying areas to evacuate, and thousands fled their homes as the storm neared the coast, BBC News reports. Hospitals have flown patients from Cairns in the north further south to Brisbane.

One resident chose to bunker down and stay in his home in order to Tweet the storm, according to the Australian. Carl Butcher, a 26-year-old IT specialist and amateur weather observer, was giving firsthand reports of the storm via his Twitter handle @cycloneupdate.

"I'm going to be right in the thick of it," he said.

Many Queensland communities were already facing years of rebuilding and a recovery of "postwar proportions," after weeks of torrential rain resulted in floods that covered an area the size of France and Germany combined.

Asked on the Australian Broadcasting Commission program, The 7.30 Report, how the state's emergency services would cope so soon after the floods, Queensland's Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said:

"They certainly have been under a lot of pressure over the last few weeks, however, they are well-prepared, well-practiced for this type of event.

"The people in the north have had a little bit of reprieve from the floods in the south, so the people here are a little bit more refreshed in the north. However, this has been a very intense period, particularly over the last few days, and we expect it to get worse of course in the days to come."

Queensland is beginning a recovery effort estimated to cost at least $5 billion as its economy prepares for slower growth because of flooding since November, Bligh said Jan. 28.

Here are videos on the storm:

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