Two tropical cyclones hit the northeastern Australian state of Queensland and the country's Northern Territory on Friday, the BBC reported. The storms, named Marcia and Lam, knocked out power, damaged homes and forced evacuations in coastal areas.

Marcia affected the Queensland coast between Yeppoon and St. Lawrence in the morning hours, and meteorologists said the downgraded Category Two cyclone still logged sustained winds of 72 mph. It caused abnormally high tides, and Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said people in coastal areas should be ready evacuate if necessary.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said residents had gone through a "terrifying experience".

"We are very, very thankful that we have avoided the worst of what could've been an absolute catastrophe if those winds had escalated and the Category Five had gone straight over Yeppoon," she told reporters in Brisbane, the state's capital.

Still, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Marcia had left "a trail of destruction along central Queensland as it slowly tracks south over land." Hundreds of families have taken refuge in cyclone shelters.

There were no reports of injuries. Some homes and businesses have suffered significant structural damage, however, and some 50,000 residences were without power in the Livingstone/Yeppoon and Rockhampton areas.

"Now we've got a big mop-up ahead of us," Livingstone Mayor Bill Ludwig said.

In the sparsely populated Northern Territory, meanwhile, Cyclone Lam hit close to the tiny and remote indigenous settlements of Elcho and Goulburn Island, east of Darwin, the state capital.

Elcho Island suffered "substantial" damage and had no power or water, regional police commander Bruce Porter said.

"Initial reports are the airstrip is still intact but covered with debris," Porter said. "There are downed power lines. There are a number of trees down and many roads are impassable and we do have a number of buildings and houses that have been severely damaged."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott acknowledged the storms had been "very serious."

"Let's hope we can get through it without any loss of life," Abbott said.

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