Australia sends in troops to aid recovery after cyclone

AUSTRALIA yesterday sent in 4,000 troops to help coastal towns left splintered by a monster cyclone, as officials urged stranded victims to stay calm until help arrives.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the move — the country’s biggest domestic military mobilisation in more than 30 years — would aid north Queensland’s recovery after the category five storm roared into the state on Thursday.

The announcement came amid reports of looting following the storm, and following the first death linked to Yasi: a young man who suffocated on fumes from a generator running in an enclosed space.

The biggest storm to hit Australia in a century wrought huge damage to small coastal communities, cutting some of them off completely.

Aerial photos revealed massive destruction in Cardwell, with splintered boats hurled on top of each other several blocks inland, entire city blocks reduced to mud, and tarmac roadways fractured.

In nearby Tully Heads, some houses were completely washed away while only the debris-littered shells of others remained.

Meanwhile, Super Bowl fans may have to scramble for alternate flights after American Airlines and its regional carrier cancelled 630 flights to and from its Dallas hub yesterday because of another winter storm.

Snow continued to fall in Texas two days after a massive winter storm grounded flights. More than 100,000 football fans were expected to converge on Dallas for the face-off between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers tomorrow.

Tim Smith, spokesman for American Airlines, said the main runways at the airport are open, but ramps “are a bit messy”.