Western Australia is bracing for tropical cyclone Seroja which is set to make landfall shortly. Emergency services opened evacuation centres.

Western Australia braces for tropical cyclone Seroja

A tropical cyclone off&nbsp;Australia's west coast destroyed several homes and cut electricity to tens of thousands of people overnight before weakening in power on Monday.

The storm, which devastated parts of Indonesia and East Timor last week, brought lashing rain and winds of up to 170 kilometres per hour (105 mph) to areas officials said had not seen a tropical cyclone in "decades".

Also see|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/aftermath-of-disaster-australians-start-clean-up-after-dangerous-floods-destroy-properties-373115">Aftermath of disaster: Australians start clean-up after dangerous floods destroy properties</a>

Officials said around 70 per cent&nbsp;of the structures in the coastal town of Kalbarri, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of state capital Perth, had sustained damage when the category three storm made landfall late on Sunday.

In Northampton, a town of less than 1,000 people about an hour's drive south, there was also "widespread damage", Western&nbsp;Australia's emergency services department said.

Tropical cyclone Seroja was downgraded after making landfall to a category two system and was forecast to continue to weaken throughout the day, although officials warned it would still bring potentially damaging wind gusts and heavy rain.

The region was on high alert for the storm, given that houses and other buildings were not constructed to withstand tropical cyclones, which usually do not push so far south.

Cyclone Seroja made landfall as a category 3 storm late Sunday,&nbsp;before crossing the continent's southwest and being downgraded to a tropical low Monday morning.

Tens of thousands of homes in Western&nbsp;Australia's Mid West region were left without power and a historic mile-long jetty in the town of Carnarvon was also destroyed.

The Bureau of Meteorology said it was the first cyclone to hit some affected areas since 1956.

Cyclone Seroja last week left more than 200 people dead in Indonesia and neighbouring East Timor, while thousands more were forced to flee their homes.

(With inputs from agencies)

A tropical cyclone off Australia's west coast destroyed several homes and cut electricity to tens of thousands of people overnight before weakening in power on Monday.

A tropical cyclone off Australia's west coast destroyed several homes and cut electricity to tens of thousands of people overnight before weakening in power on Monday. The storm, which devastated parts of Indonesia and East Timor last week, brought lashing rain and winds of up to 170 kilometres per hour (105 mph) to areas officials said had not seen a tropical cyclone in "decades". Also see| Aftermath of disaster: Australians start clean-up after dangerous floods destroy properties Officials said around 70 per cent of the structures in the coastal town of Kalbarri, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of state capital Perth, had sustained damage when the category three storm made landfall late on Sunday. In Northampton, a town of less than 1,000 people about an hour's drive south, there was also "widespread damage", Western Australia's emergency services department said. Tropical cyclone Seroja was downgraded after making landfall to a category two system and was forecast to continue to weaken throughout the day, although officials warned it would still bring potentially damaging wind gusts and heavy rain. The region was on high alert for the storm, given that houses and other buildings were not constructed to withstand tropical cyclones, which usually do not push so far south. Cyclone Seroja made landfall as a category 3 storm late Sunday, before crossing the continent's southwest and being downgraded to a tropical low Monday morning. Tens of thousands of homes in Western Australia's Mid West region were left without power and a historic mile-long jetty in the town of Carnarvon was also destroyed. The Bureau of Meteorology said it was the first cyclone to hit some affected areas since 1956. Cyclone Seroja last week left more than 200 people dead in Indonesia and neighbouring East Timor, while thousands more were forced to flee their homes. (With inputs from agencies)

Cyclone Seroja causes 'widespread damage' in Australia's west coast

Authorities in Western Australia were urging residents of its Mid West coast to find safe shelter or leave on Saturday as cyclone Seroja barrelled towards a coastal region that is usually too far south to fall in the path of cyclones. &nbsp;

Residents in Western Australia's Mid West and Gascoyne regions are being urged to finalise their emergency plans, as the cyclone is expected to intensify to a category three overnight, battering a region where buildings are not made to withstand cyclonic winds.&nbsp;

"This is a very serious situation. The potential for widespread devastation is high," state Emergency Services Minister Fran Logan said on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). &nbsp;

"We hope that we can get through these next few days without loss of life and without serious property damage. We need to work on the basis of worst-case scenario," she said, adding that cyclonic winds had not been seen in the area for decades. &nbsp;

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology forecasts destructive winds with gusts to 150 km per hour (93 miles per hour), and heavy rains that could cause significant damage to coastal communities as the cyclone moves across the coast and further inland.&nbsp;

The most likely area to experience destructive wind gusts is on the coast between Geraldton, 200 km north of Perth, and Denham, 500 km north of Perth. &nbsp;

This area is much further south of Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub, which withstands several cyclones a season and where houses are built to stronger standards.&nbsp;

Authorities in Western Australia were urging residents of its Mid West coast to find safe shelter or leave on Saturday as cyclone Seroja barrelled towards a coastal region that is usually too far south to fall in the path of cyclones.

Authorities in Western Australia were urging residents of its Mid West coast to find safe shelter or leave on Saturday as cyclone Seroja barrelled towards a coastal region that is usually too far south to fall in the path of cyclones. Residents in Western Australia's Mid West and Gascoyne regions are being urged to finalise their emergency plans, as the cyclone is expected to intensify to a category three overnight, battering a region where buildings are not made to withstand cyclonic winds. "This is a very serious situation. The potential for widespread devastation is high," state Emergency Services Minister Fran Logan said on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "We hope that we can get through these next few days without loss of life and without serious property damage. We need to work on the basis of worst-case scenario," she said, adding that cyclonic winds had not been seen in the area for decades. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology forecasts destructive winds with gusts to 150 km per hour (93 miles per hour), and heavy rains that could cause significant damage to coastal communities as the cyclone moves across the coast and further inland. The most likely area to experience destructive wind gusts is on the coast between Geraldton, 200 km north of Perth, and Denham, 500 km north of Perth. This area is much further south of Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub, which withstands several cyclones a season and where houses are built to stronger standards.

Western Australia braces for 'worst case scenario' as cyclone Seroja nears 

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