Cyclone Debbie makes landfall in Queensland, Australia - in pictures

The state disaster co-ordination centre in Brisbane, Queensland preparing for Cyclone Debbie. Dave Hunt / EPA

Outdoor furniture blown into a pool at a motel in Airlie Beach, a resort town in Queensland state located south of Townsville in Australia. Dan Peled / AAP / via Reuters

A fallen palm tree next to a building at Airlie Beach, Queensland. Dan Peled / EPA

The town is a jumping-off point for the Whitsunday Islands, a popular tourist destination that has been pummeled by fierce winds that damaged roofs and knocked down palm trees. Dan Peled / EPA

In this image captured from video, tree debris lies on the street as wind gusts in Bowen, eastern Australia. Cyclone Debbie lashed islands, damaged roofs and cut power on Tuesday as it edged toward Australia’s tropical northeast coast. Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP

Image released by NASA shows a natural colour image of Cyclone Debbie approaching the coast of Queensland that was captured by the MODIS – or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Jeff Schmaltz / NASA / AFP Photo

Officials warned that the slow-moving storm was likely to hover over the region for several hours before weakening as it moved inland. Dan Peled / EPA

Thousands of people evacuated low-lying areas in the storm’s path on Monday. Dan Peled / EPA

Hundreds of schools were closed on Tuesday and more than 50,000 households were without power by mid-afternoon. Handout from the Bureau of Meterology / EPA

Cyclone Debbie, a Category 4 storm, made landfall on the north coast of Queensland in Australia on Tuesday, tearing down fences, snapping trees and knocking out power to tens of thousands of houses.