The Queensland town of Tully is emerging as one of the worst-hit with estimates that half the homes are damaged.

Shoppers may be forced to fork out up to $13 a kilo for bananas as 90 per cent of Australia's crop may have been wiped out.

Evacuation centres in Cairns and Townsville will remain in lockdown due to a second, dangerous storm surge in the wake of Cyclone Yasi, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says.

Amid the chaos and devastation of Cyclone Yasi, a yet-to-be named baby girl has been born at a Cairns evacuation centre.

Messages from Twitter and Facebook as north Queensland wakes up to the devastation of its worst battering in recent history.

Former Tall Black Phill Jones converted his master bedroom's walk-in wardrobe into a virtual bunker to protect his family against Cyclone Yasi.

Former Auckland police officer Sandy Beckett said he would rather take on a crocodile than sit through Cyclone Yasi.

'The most serious cyclone you can have' is how Queensland Premier Anna Bligh is describing the storm set to ravage the state tonight. The storm has been upgraded to a Category Five cyclone - the most severe level imaginable.

Thousands of people are fleeing their homes and hospitals are being emptied as severe tropical cyclone Yasi bears down on the north Queensland coast.

Evacuations are underway as severe tropical cyclone Yasi continues its charge towards the north Queensland coast.

Severe thunderstorms have hampered the reconnection of power to flood-weary southeast Queenslanders.

Queensland police say a teenager photographed as she was swept to what appeared to be certain death in Toowoomba has survived.

About 150 mourners gathered to farewell Donna and Jordan Rice - the teen who sacrificed himself to save his brother.

As floodwaters continue to isolate large areas of Queensland and Victoria, the ground is being laid for recriminations and blame.