The White family, Sky, Dominique and their four children aged between 12 and two years, battened down the hatches as the cyclone roared into their town early on in the afteroon of Friday, February 20.

“It was pretty hectic,” Mrs White said.

“It hit at about 1pm and we were think thinking ‘this is it’ and then ‘holy moly.’

"The eye came at about 2pm and then it returned for the rest of the day.

"There was a lot of damage.

"Part of the roof lifted up, three windows were smashed while Sky (Mr White) was boarding them up.

"Our two bedrooms downstairs had knee-deep water and are uninhabitable.

"Our fence was smashed, all the trees were knocked down."

On Wednesday, they were still without power.”

The Whites’ predicament was mirrored all over Rockhampton.

“It is pretty devastating," Mrs White said.

"Every tree is smashed down, 1800 power lines are down, there are two hour line-ups for fuel, and demand for ice is high."

To make matters worse, a heatwave followed the cyclone, and temperatures have remained at around 38-39 degrees Celsius since then.

“We have had 100 percent humidity, and you want to go for a drive so you can have air conditioning,” Mrs White said.

The family has been loaned a generator, enabling them to use a fridge, a fan and a light.

“Cooking by candlelight has been interesting, and we are hand-washing clothes for four hours at a time,” Mrs White said.

“However there is a lot of community support.”

Meanwhile, Sunshine Bay resident Ursula Mittelstadt feared for her daughter Antje and her family at Emu Park, near Yeppoon, as Marcia hit.

“I was very worried,” she said.

“I tried to ring, but couldn’t get through.

"Everything was broken down.”

Fortunately, on Sunday night, her daughter rang to say they were safe and well.

“They went and stayed at a property at Blackwater and they are now back home,” she said.

“There was a lot of damage but they are alright.” 

Meanwhile, Batemans Bay State Emergency Service swift water technicians Danny McDermott and Harley Dengate spent last weekend in the state’s far north helping with the flood crisis triggered by Cyclone Marcia.

Mr McDermott was in Tweed Heads, where he and many other volunteers were on standby.