Hamilton Island tourists could do nothing but watch on as the normally picturesque island took a lashing from Cyclone Debbie on Tuesday, March 28.

Many trees were felled while some roofs reportedly blew off homes due to the storm’s powerful winds of up to 263 kilometres per hour, the Courier Mail reported.

The tropical storm greeted Queensland’s central-east coast as a category 4 storm on Tuesday afternoon before being downgraded one level later that afternoon. Cyclone Debbie’s powerful wind gusts peaked at 260 kilometres per hour, with the ABC reporting that up to 51,000 homes were left without power.

The storm was reduced to a tropical low in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

This video shows Debbie’s impact on Hamilton Island on Tuesday.