Albion Park's Natalia Gomez among those in Yasi's path

Albion Park's Natalia Gomez and friends were last night bunkered down in the path of Cyclone Yasi, which hit the coast of Far North Queensland with a fury rarely seen in Australia.Around the Illawarra, friends and families went to bed worried about loved ones in the path of Yasi - predicted to be more powerful than Cyclone Tracy - which destroyed much of Darwin in 1974.As it approached land, the category five cyclone was measured to have wind gusts at its centre up to 295km/h and people in the path of the violent storm were warned to expect massive destruction.Ms Gomez, 25, and her housemates were huddled inside their Cairns house preparing to listen for updates on the radio, once the power went out as expected."We're as prepared as we can be," she said. "Today it's quiet, eerie, empty. Yesterday [Tuesday] was complete panic."Probably the biggest concerns is strong winds and the fact we could lose the roof. We've put every single item in the back bedroom. I've secured everything inside the house that could be a projectile."Ms Gomez, who works at Cairns Airport, arrived in Cairns just in time for Cyclone Larry in early 2006.While Larry hit the coast at category four, the Bureau of Meteorology was using its most serious language to describe the threat posted by Yasi, due to hit Innisfail about 1am (AEDT) this morning."Severe TC Yasi is a large and very powerful tropical cyclone and poses an extremely serious threat to life and property in the warning area, especially between Cairns and Townsville," the bureau said. "This impact is likely to be more life-threatening than any experienced during recent generations."Near Atherton, about 50km north-west of Innisfail, West Wollongong couple Jennifer Duncan and Wayne Dobbs took cover at Ms Duncan's cousin's house after fleeing another cousin's sugar cane farm near Tully - where the eye of the cyclone was headed."We tried to get out ... but the flights were all booked," Ms Duncan said. "It's sort of a psychology up here - they just know when to get the hell out."It is scary. The locals are even scared."Like Ms Gomez, the family is prepared. They had cyclone kits ready - radio with batteries, torches, drinking water and non-perishable food - hoping the cyclone would ease south away from Cairns. They tied down everything they could to remove the danger from missiles and taped windows."These people are fifth-generation north Queenslanders - they're not stupid," Ms Duncan said. "They know what to expect."The news worsened with indications Yasi was accelerating to the coast and would make landfall on a higher tide than expected, increasing likelihood of storm surge damage.In Wollongong, Karen Neumann expected a sleepless worrying about her family in Innisfail and along the coast to Townsville.Her sister and brother-in-law were preparing their unit for the force of the storm, after having their roof torn off by Cyclone Larry in 2006."They are as prepared as they could be," she said. "They ended up in the stairwell of the house [during Larry] with a mattress on them because the roof came off. They lost everything."Her 84-year-old father, meanwhile, was refusing to leave his nursing home. Mrs Neumann, born and raised in Innisfail, said her home town had just finished rebuilding after Larry."I was there in September and the buildings had been restored," she said. "It was just beautiful."Last night Berry couple Bob and Pam Arnold were bunkered down outside Bowen. But the house they are staying in is just across the road from the beach and with storm surges forecast, they will keep a close watch. "There's no panic," Mrs Arnold said. "There's a sense of preparedness. There was Cyclone Anthony earlier in the week."Mr Arnold was disappointed airline tickets from Proserpine to Brisbane went up to $400 for those trying to flee in recent days - after costing $79 a few days earlier.