Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited north Queensland neighborhoods damaged by Cyclone Debbie, on Thursday, March 30.
Turnbull praised the residents of north Queensland’s Whitsunday region for their resilience.
Cyclone Debbie, a Category 4 storm, tore down power lines and flooded coastal regions.
Tens of thousands of people were still without power on Thursday in north Queensland.
Queensland officials issued fresh evacuation orders as more heavy rain was predicted.
Cyclone Debbie, downgraded to a tropical storm, swept southeast toward Queensland’s capital, Brisbane.
Faced with flash floods, the government closed more than 2,000 schools.
Prime Minister Turnbull deployed 1,300 Australian Defense Force troops to North Queensland ahead of the storm’s arrival. “This is the largest pre-deployment of the Australian Defense Force in advance of a natural disaster in our history,” Turnbull said.
