Final preparations for Ului underway

Communities along Queensland's northern and central coast are making final
preparations for the arrival of tropical cyclone Ului over the weekend.
However, disaster management groups have expressed relief at news the cyclone is
continuing to weaken as it approaches the coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) on Friday downgraded Ului to a category two storm,
easing fears of extensive damage.
"It has started to weaken considerably overnight (and) at this stage we don't think
it is likely to re-intensify. It is moving into conditions which are not conducive
to further development," forecaster Ann Farrell told AAP.
"Certainly, this weakening trend is quite encouraging at the moment."
At 4pm (AEST) on Friday, Ului was about 850km east-northeast of Mackay and 1010km
east-northeast of Townsville, moving southwest towards the Queensland coast at
15km/h.
The cyclone is expected to cross the coast somewhere between Cardwell and Mackay
early on Sunday morning.
A cyclone warning has been issued for coastal areas from Ayr to Yeppoon.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts, who with Premier Anna Bligh met with
disaster management chiefs in Brisbane, said SES crews were on standby and the
cyclone was expected to develop into a rain depression with the chance of local
flooding.
"The Bureau Of Meteorology has issued a cyclone watch from Cardwell to Yeppoon," Mr
Roberts said.
"The bureau is predicting potentially 200-300mm of rain in some areas, which
potentially can cause localised flooding.
"Preparations have been made for potential impact of high damaging winds and also
the potential impact of floods in those areas."
Emergency Management Queensland northern region director Warren Bridson said
disaster response crews were pleased with the news of Ului's weakening.
"Yesterday, we were looking down the barrel of a fairly significant event, and now
our local governments ... are much more comfortable," he said.
However, he said, a team of 50 emergency services workers from Cairns with cyclone
response expertise were expected to arrive in Townsville on Saturday.
He said residents living in low-lying areas of the Burdekin region, south of
Townsville, had opted to evacuate and seek refuge with friends and family in
anticipation of possible flash flooding.
The Palm Island council has advised island residents living in outstations to move
into the town area ahead of Ului's arrival.
Tourists have been evacuated from a number of island resorts in the Whitsundays
group, and boat operators have been told to stay in port.
Coal ports along the central Queensland coast have been closed, and Jetstar has
suspended flights to Hamilton Island over the weekend.