Powerful cyclone hits Australia

Residents of Australia's cyclone-battered tropical northeast emerged from their homes on Wednesday to find roofs lying in their yards, boats flung onto rocks and roads blocked by tangles of fallen trees and power lines, as emergency officials tried to reach communities cut off by the powerful storm. Cyclone Debbie, which slammed into the coast of Queensland state on Tuesday with winds up to 260 kilometres (160 miles) an hour, weakened quickly as it moved inland and was downgraded to a tropical low by Wednesday morning. Emergency workers were trying to reach those areas to ensure residents were safe, police said. Proserpine was one of the worst-hit areas, along with the resort town of Airlie Beach and the town of Bowen.