20140411 BBC_Cyclone Ita: Queensland braced for category five storm

Forecaster Darren Betts: Ita "will bring destructive winds and flooding"

The Australian state of Queensland is braced for the arrival of Cyclone Ita, a category-five storm set to hit its far north coast.

The storm is expected to hit the Cape York peninsula later on Friday, bringing very destructive winds.

It was expected to bring damaging waves to some low-lying areas, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said, and heavy rain could cause flooding.

It is the strongest storm to hit since Cyclone Yasi, which struck in 2011.

Cyclone Ita, which is expected to make landfall on Friday evening local time (10 hours ahead of GMT), "poses a serious threat to communities along the far north Queensland coast", the BOM said in its latest statement.

"It is expected to move in a general south-southwest direction and make landfall between Cape Melville and Cooktown this evening or tonight as a category 5 tropical cyclone with very destructive winds to 300km/h (186 miles/h) near the core and gales extending out to 200km from the centre."

Winds were expected to gather strength during Friday as the cyclone approached, it said.

Coastal residents were also warned of a "dangerous storm tide" as the cyclone crossed the coast.

The cyclone was expected to weaken over land overnight, but if it travelled south along the coast it could potentially bring destructive winds to the tourist hubs of Port Douglas and Cairns, the BOM said.

On Thursday, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman urged people to be ready for the storm.

Cyclone Ita has already brought heavy rain to the Solomon Islands, causing deadly flash floods

"The big concerns people need to prepare for are a storm surge, which means in low-lying areas water much higher potentially than normal tides," he said.

"The other big concern of course will be the normal high winds that can cause debris flying around, which people need to prepare for and... very intense rain causing quite severe local flooding."

Keith Whiting, who lives in Port Douglas, told the BBC he had been felling dead trees and removing any objects that winds could pick up.

"We have prepared a safe room in the middle of the house downstairs, bought water, charged the torches and now we wait," he said.

"Ita is due to arrive here in 12 hours - if she swings any further south when she leaves, she will take the house."

Stacey Owen, who lives in Cairns, said it was already wet and blustery.

"We are currently a few hours from impact," she said. "All the local shops and businesses here closed at noon. Before that all the shops were sold out of essentials like bread, milk and water."

Cyclone Ita brought torrential rain to the Solomon Islands late last week, causing flash floods that left at least 21 people dead.