Queensland’s Communities Brace for Power, Internet and Water Cuts as Cyclone Jasper Looms

Some of Queensland’s most vulnerable communities are bracing for impact as Tropical Cyclone Jasper looms. The season’s first cyclone has weakened to a category 1 system as it moves toward the far north coast. However, the tropical storm is expected to re-intensify, crossing the coast near Port Douglas, north of Cairns, by the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 13, as a category 2. “If the system is slower and crosses overnight Wednesday or Thursday, a slim chance remains of a severe category 3 crossing,” the Bureau of Meteorology said. The first official tropical cyclone warning of the season was issued on Monday by the bureau for an area from Cooktown to just north of Townsville....