A BACKPACKER caught up in a cyclone that has struck the east coast of Australia told of her panic as she was forced to evacuate her hostel.

Sarah Bromley, 22, of Mount Road, Wickford, is currently working on a farm in the town of Ayr as she travels the country.

The region was battered by Cyclone Debbie with winds of up to 160mph on Tuesday - forcing thousands of people to flee low lying areas.

Sarah, a former pupil at Beauchamps High School, in Beauchamps Drive, Wickford, said: “I’m in Ayr in Queensland, staying in a hostel with mainly English and German people to complete farm work to get a second year visa for Australia.

“On Sunday, the news was that the cyclone was due to be category four and would hit us directly, but the hostel owners told us all that it’s pretty unpredictable.

“On Monday, the cyclone was upgraded to level five and to still come straight for us.

“We had the choice but to evacuate to Cairns on free buses that the Government laid on. We could go to the cyclone shelter in town or stay in the hostel.

“Bearing in mind that the door in my room could be blown open by the ceiling fans, I chose the cyclone shelter.

“A group of us went down to the shelter and built a camp. There was about 60 people down there in the end.

“Everyone got very panicky on the day the cyclone was due to hit, but it got more chilled out when it kept getting delayed and travelling further south.

“I am one of the more laid back people here but some people in the hostel were saying that they were expecting hurricane Katrina and getting worked up about it.”

She added: “I think the cyclone was due to hit on Monday evening, then got pushed back to 4am on Tuesday, then 9am and then pushed back a few more times. The cyclone actually just missed us which was a massive relief.”

As the storm moved inland, it weakened quickly and was downgraded by Wednesday morning.

Communities along more than 200 miles of coastline have been impacted.

Sarah, who has been travelling since she was 19, added: “The problem here now is actually the torrential rain.

“Our hostel is apparently out of the flood zone but it looks like it’s going to flood if it carries on the way it is now.

“People had booked flights weeks ago and are having problems getting to airports as we have to rely on the buses to get there. The damage down in Airlie beach is having an affect on the backpackers wanting to leave.”

The storm has left a path of destruction and thousands of homes without power.