Perth (Australia): Cyclone in the western coast of Australia has caused major damage to many cities and disrupted the electricity supply. However, no serious injuries have been reported. Officials said on Monday that Cyclone Seroja had passed ahead of Kalbury in Western Australia. During the cyclone, winds were moving at a speed of 170 km per hour.
Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Services Darren Klemm said about 70 percent of the buildings in the town of Kalbari, a population of 1400 people, 580 kilometers north of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, have been affected. About 30 percent of these losses are serious. Many more cities around the coast have also suffered damage. State-run Western Power has said that power supply has been disrupted in 31,500 houses.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement that for the first time in more than 50 years in Kalbury and surrounding towns, such stormy winds have been recorded. Earlier in 1956, there was a severe cyclone. Cyclone ‘Saroja’ killed 174 people and 48 people are missing from floods and landslides in Indonesia and East Timor last week.
The manager of Kalbury’s State Emergency Service, Steve Cable, said there was more damage in some parts of the city, while the impact of the cyclone was seen across the city.
