Cyclone Marcia is losing intensity but has left a swathe of destruction from its 200km/h-plus winds.
Large branches are strewn across roads and roofs have been torn off houses. The cyclonic winds have been so fierce they have even peeled paint off buildings.
Marcia crossed the Capricorn Coast as a category five storm on Friday morning but has been downgraded to category three as it heads inland towards Rockhampton.
Yeppoon residents were taken to the town's evacuation centre early in on Friday morning before torrential rain pelted the town.
As many worry about the damage they will find when they return to their homes, some are just relieved they found refuge from Marcia's destruction.
Simone O'Leary, who left her low-lying home with her partner Simon Jones and three sons early on Friday morning, says she's not concerned about her house.
"I don't care about it whatsoever - our family's here so we can start again," she told AAP.
"We're all safe and that's all that matters."
Ms O'Leary's family found shelter at Bayview Tower Motel on The Strand at Yeppoon.
The hotel managers put the family up for nothing so they could get out of the storm.
"They haven't charged us. They just wanted us to stay somewhere safe," she said. "The kids were scared, but now they've been settled down and have somewhere safe."
Ms O'Leary said she hoped the experience would be repeated in the community in coming days.
Hundreds of SES volunteers are starting to cautiously assess the damage.
"We've told our crews not to race out there," SES director of disaster management Brian Cox told ABC Radio.
"We've told people to be careful and to be patient."
More than 31,000 households and businesses in the Yeppoon and Rockhampton areas have lost power.
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