They've been issued a harsh warning, "if something happens, don't expect us to come and get you" but are confident in their preparation despite concerns of a massive storm surge.

They have generators full of petrol, food to last days if not weeks and water stockpiled not by the bottle, but by the container.

Back-up plans include the roof, boats, the neighbour's veranda, and even the nearby water tower but most don't believe it would come to that.

Police were door-knocking Cungulla and Cape Cleveland, about 40 minutes south of Townsville, from 6am Monday, telling residents to leave but not forcing them out.

They could not provide firm numbers but suggested less than one in five residents had elected to stay.

Many but not all of the houses are old and low-set, with huge trees nearby, coconuts ready to fall. Plenty of objects ready to become airborne in cyclonic winds. Not to mention the storm surge risk from Bowling Green bay and Doughboy Creek even as Cyclone Debbie appeared to be heading further south than first thought.

Residents further south in the Burdekin, closer to Cyclone Debbie's latest projected path through Bowen as a destructive category 4 system, had made the same decisions to stay.

Speaking after a Local Disaster Management Group meeting on Monday morning, Townsville mayor Jenny Hill said there was only so much authorities could do.

"If people don't want to leave, we're not going to go in there and force them out," she said. "They make a conscious choice. We've told them what we need them to do.

"If people choose to remain in harm's way and something happens, don't expect us to come and get you."

Lauretta and Nev Grasso chatted with police as Sam and Toby, aged two and four, sat scuffling over a mini-merry-go-round, unconcerned.

Lauretta and Nev Grasso are staying in Cungulla, south of Townsville, with their boys Sam and Toby. Photo: Jorge Branco

They had a new shed rated for a category 5 cell, food to last weeks and a memory of a nightmare trip home after evacuating for Cyclone Yasi only to return to see minimal damage.

A Monday morning shift south in Cyclone Debbie's predicted path only added to their decision to stay.

"If the water comes up from the storm surge we've got a boat, so we've decided that we're just going to stay here and then at least we're here rather than take a long time to get home again," Lauretta said.

The power was cut to more than 300 homes in the area on Monday morning, hindering evacuation or preparation plans.

Denise Horam was still in Cungulla on Monday morning but was planning to leave to be with either her son or daughter in Townsville.

"They're not going to cuff us they said, but they do want us to leave the area," she said, of the door-knocking police.

But Janet, who did not want to give her last name, was staying with her two dogs, confident the water would not reach her home.

"I'm staying," she said.

"I'm from the Burdekin ???

"I've been in worse houses than that for cyclones."