Category 5 Cyclone Slams Australia

Tropical Storm Larry Hits Northeastern Coast With 180 MPH Winds

(CBS/AP) 
The storm passed directly over Australia's Great Barrier Reef, but there was no immediate word on what damage the reef may have suffered.

As reports flooded in about extensive damage across the northeastern coast, government and emergency officials were meeting Monday in Canberra to discuss sending troops to help clean up the cyclone-stricken area.

"If any military assets are needed, they will be made available," Prime Minister John Howard said.

Howard said he was confident the cyclone would not result in the chaos seen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

The storm has already devastated the region's multimillion-dollar banana and sugar farming industry, said George Pervan, deputy mayor of Johnstone Shire Council.

"The crops are all gone, bananas are all flattened, cane's flattened. It'll kill us for 12 or 18 months," Pervan said.

Up to 50,000 homes in the region were without power, and were expected to remain without electricity for several days, said Gaylene Whenmouth, a spokeswoman for Ergon Energy Cairns.

"It is still too windy to send crews out to do restoration, but we will be doing that as soon as we can, whenever it is safe to do so," Whenmouth said.

The stretch of coast in the storm's path includes the tourist city of Cairns, popular with international travelers and the starting point for many Great Barrier Reef boat cruises.