Perth, Australia – A powerful hurricane has wreaked havoc on several cities in Western Australia in the past few hours, but no casualties have been reported so far.
Hurricane Zero made landfall at 170 kilometers per hour after dark on Sunday.
About 70% of the buildings in Calbury, a town of 1,400 people, 600 kilometers north of the regional capital Perth, were damaged, Chief Rescue Officer Darren Clem said.
About 30% of the damage was “significant,” he said.
Other coastal cities have also been affected. Western Power reports that 31,500 customers are without electricity.
Hurricanes of such power are rare in Australia.
The National Weather Service has warned that the recorded gases in and around Calbury will be “very powerful in 50 years”.
The last hurricane of comparable intensity to hit the region was in 1956. The wind then blew at 140km / h, hitting the port city of Geraldine, 160km south of Calbary.
Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in at least 174 places in Indonesia and East Timor last week, with at least 174 people missing and 48 missing.
Some parts of Calbary have been affected more than others, but the entire city has been affected, said local leader Steve Cable.
Electric poles and trees collapsed, roofs were torn down, and the streets are littered with debris.
“Some of the more modern buildings don’t even stand,” Cable said. Trees with good sized branches broke like carrots. ”
The storm lost most of its power and returned to the sea near the city of Esperance on Monday.
– See Associated Press