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Queensland braces for ‘destructive’ Debbie 30th March 2017

Tropical Cyclone Debbie is on course to make landfall in Queensland tomorrow, as the state braces for what could be its biggest storm since Yasi in 2011.

The Category 3 storm is predicted to continue moving west-southwest towards the north Queensland coast, bringing sustained winds of 100kmh.

“The very destructive core of… Debbie is forecast to cross the coast between Townsville and Proserpine on Tuesday morning, with wind gusts potentially to 230kmh near the centre of the system,” the Bureau of Meteorology says.

The bureau’s Queensland Regional Director Bruce Gunn says the storm is dangerous and the biggest since Tropical Cyclone Yasi, which resulted in insured losses of more than $1.3 billion.

Suncorp says its main catastrophe program and the additional natural hazard aggregate protection bought for 2016/17 will cover claims arising from Debbie.

The main catastrophe program provides cover from $250 million to $6.9 billion, while the added aggregate protection provides $300 million of cover once the retained portion of natural hazard events greater than $5 million exceeds $460 million.