Palm Island not evacuated. Channel 7 reported that no evacuation order was given even though it is directly in Y's path  

someone will have blood on their hands.

Palm Island ready for Yasi, mayor says

February 2, 2011 - 6:24PM

Residents of Palm Island are bunkered down in homes and four evacuation centres waiting for Cyclone Yasi to strike, the island's mayor says.

Alf Lacey said it was misleading of a former mayor to suggest that Palm Island and its population of around 3500 had been neglected.

Mr Blackley said Palm Island, which lies off Queensland's coast, north of Townsville, had not been evacuated and accused authorities of ignoring its people.

Mr Lacey said while he agreed with former mayor Rob Blackley that the community needed a new, cyclone-rated town hall to use as a central evacuation centre, the mixed messages coming from the island were unnecessary.

"We've been planning for these events of many years," Mr Lacey, who is also chairman of the Local Disaster Management Group, said.

"We planned before Cyclone Anthony (which crossed into north Queensland on January 30) when it was predicted.

"Palm certainly is in safe hands and everything is in order," Mr Lacey told AAP.

"Evacuation centres are open if people are not feeling safe at home.

"I certainly don't need panic buttons being pushed because it will just turn that situation into a more worser situation than what it is.

"Giving those wrong messages out to the wider public is probably not useful when you're trying to unite the community around an event like this."

Mr Lacey said the island's homes were adequate to survive the cyclone.

"Some may lose roofs, we don't know until it happens," he said.

"There's a very strong wind blowing here at the moment, the streets are deserted, so everyone has heeded the advice we've given out."

Local council phones are staffed for those unsure of their safety, Mr Lacey said.

Some people flew out or left the island by boat, but there was no need for a mass evacuation, he said.

A strong presence of Queensland government health and school staff had remained, Mr Lacey said.

© 2011 AAP

Hint, if you can demonstrate a relevance to Abbotts political process, and this natural disaster, (something he's either doing, or not doing, that would make a difference)..re- the overall management of this disaster, then goodo, I'm all ears, otherwise, you have to admit, mentioning Abbott was a bit of a duck-egg.

  How about we just blame Michael Jackson instead.

[Comment From harry harry: ]
i'm in innisfail & fearing for my life- next door neighbours roof just blown off & cars in street have been crushed by trees- water is lapping at my doorstep

mellie wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2011 at 7:28pm:


If anyone could make a link betwixt Yasi and Michael Jackson, Mellie, then it would be you!

Seriously, tho', this thread was politicised long before I mentioned Abbott - noting that I was far from the first to mention Gillard or Bligh on this thread which is (rightly) NOT in Politician's Suck...

In fact, Mellie, you have been one of the worst offenders in relation to politicising this cyclone - for which you have no reason to be proud nor smug!

That said: I, for one, do not believe that the criticisms of Gillard and Bligh in relation to this cyclone are even remotely warranted...

Let's try to leave this tangent at that!