The wind roaring through south Rockhampton was so deafening, Brian Egan didn't even realise Cyclone Marcia had flattened a warehouse right next door.
Mr Egan's house, which was remarkably untouched when the cyclone hit the central Queensland town as a category three system, sits right next to the ageing warehouse.
"With all the noise and wind I didn't know it had happened until after," Mr Egan told AAP.
"I wasn't surprised though, because it's very old and rotten."
Emergency crews on Saturday worked to make safe the Stage & Audio warehouse, which was seemingly on the verge of collapsing completely, while staff outside lamented how much stock was damaged inside.
Warren Barnham and his grandmother Audrey Smith watched Cyclone Marcia lift the warehouse up from its foundations from their home across the road.
"The wind got underneath it and it lifted then just dropped," Mr Barnham said.
Ms Smith added: "We just thought 'oh God'.
"The next minute the bloody tin came flying up the street."
Downed powerlines, fallen trees and missing roofs are a common sight throughout the central Queensland town as the clean-up effort continues.
With many homes without power, businesses that are operating are teeming with customers.
Bunnings was full of people eager to buy generators, while there was traffic chaos around McDonald's as people lined up around the corner to get into the fast-food restaurant.
Motorists were also forming long lines at the few petrol stations open in town.
About 700 soldiers are expected to arrive on Saturday in Rockhampton and Yeppoon, the worst-hit areas, to help clean up the debris.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will also arrive in Rockhampton to tour the disaster area.
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