THE HOWLING winds, pounding seas and lashing rain made even Australia`s legendary tough men quake as Cyclone Larry hit the coast in the country`s tropical northeast.

"I do not get scared much but this is something to make any man tremble in his boots," said Des Hensler, a resident of the small town of Innisfail which bore the brunt of the storm.

Sheltering in a church with water up to his ankles he said, “There is a grey sheet of water, horizontal to the ground, and just taking everything in its path. And believe me, it is taking everything. It is really scary."

Roofs were torn off houses, power lines were smashed -- cutting electricity to some 50,000 people -- and toppled trees blocked roads as the cyclone ripped through the Queensland coast south of Cairns.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm it appeared there had been few casualties -- some broken limbs, lots of cuts and bruises -- but fear was a recurring theme as shell-shocked residents told their stories to reporters.

"It was so terrifying, we were all crying," said Amanda Fitzpatrick, owner of the Barrier Reef Motel outside Innisfail. "It is just like a bomb has gone off, like something went through and just bombed it."

Huge waves dumped sand and debris on the doorsteps of some beachside homes, while further inland farmers saw millions of dollars worth of crops wiped out by the winds.

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