POST Online Media Lite Edition



 

'Once in a decade' storm hits Australia

Christian Fernsby |
More than 50,000 homes and businesses are without power across Western Australia as a severe storm tracks down the coast, bringing wind gusts of more than 100 kilometres per hour.

Article continues below



Topics: STORM    AUSTRALIA   

The severe weather is the result of the remnants of tropical cyclone Mangga interacting with a cold front, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

A senior official in Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said it would be a "once-in-a-decade" storm.

"Normally our storms come from the south west and this will come from the north west," DFES acting assistant commissioner Jon Broomhall told journalists.

In the Perth metropolitan area, electricity supply to about 37,000 homes and businesses has been impacted by the storm.

Thirteen thousand of the affected properties are in WA's Mid West region, including the port city of Geraldton.

Meanwhile, the entire town of Margaret River lost power as the storm moved further south.

The worst-affected suburbs include Beckenham, East Cannington, Kenwick, Bayswater, Bassendean, Mirrabooka, Dianella, and Malaga, along with the hills suburbs of Sawyers Valley and Mount Helena.

Western Power said some households should expect to remain without electricity overnight, particularly in places where it was not safe for crews to repair the network.

Almost 200 storm-related calls for assistance have been made to emergency services across the state.

A deep low pressure system is forecast to form off the south-west corner of the state.

The worst of the weather is due to hit Perth this evening and tomorrow morning, and not ease until Monday afternoon.

"In a broad area, the south-west of the state will be hit really severely overnight, tonight and into tomorrow," the bureau's James Ashley said.

"Really quite severe conditions will still be experienced in Perth tomorrow morning.

"But in small pockets up in the north of the state they are still likely to experience those 130 kilometre per hour [winds], those really severe conditions.

"But I should emphasise it's pretty much the whole western half of the state that's getting strong northerly winds at the moment.

"We're seeing dust, there's going to be heavy rainfall, so it's impacting a really broad area."

There were reports of damage to buildings, homes, fences, electricity infrastructure and trees across Perth as the storm front moved south.

Geraldton couple Bronson Cox and Sharree Williams were left shaken after large tree branches fell on their moving car while they were in it.

"Suddenly the glass was all broken and there was a branch near my face, so a bit of a fright," Sharee Williams said.

There are reports of roofs being ripped off buildings in Geraldton and Kalbarri.

Emergency services, which are expecting hundreds of calls for assistance during the night, are telling everyone to stay inside wherever possible during the storm.

The storm is expected to push up tides by half a metre more than normal. When that combines with the high tide, the bureau said, it could cause localised flooding.

Waves are forecast to peak at more than 8 metres on Monday, and surfers, kite boarders and other ocean users are being told to stay out of the water.

"They should not be there, it's dangerous coastal conditions," Department of Fire and Emergency Services' (DFES) Danny Mosconi said, adding going into the water would put their lives and the lives of marine rescue teams at risk.

"There could be 8 metre waves, strong winds, so definitely no-one should be in the water at the moment."

People who had gone away for the weekend were urged to come home early to avoid being caught in the storm.

Main Roads director of metropolitan operations Peter Sewell said many people had already heeded that warning.

But traffic on the Albany, South West and Forrest highways were still heavy, with debris starting to appear on the roads.

"Our advice to the travellers, that if you're in the South West still, stay there," Sewell said.

"Don't travel home this afternoon. As we've heard, the weather is going to be fairly catastrophic, so the last thing emergency services want to do is attend traffic accidents on the freeway network."

The DFES was also advising people not to go on roofs to clear gutters or perform other work, saying they should instead wait inside for conditions to improve.

Dust from the storm has blanketed parts of WA's Mid West coast, including Geraldton, with strong winds bringing power lines down.

Port Denison, Dongara, Cape Burney and Greenough, along with Kalbarri, are among the worst-affected areas.


U.S.: Pacific storm will bring strong winds, heavy rain, and mountain snow

 
A strong storm that originated over the Pacific has tracked through the Great Basin and is currently transitioning across the Rockies to redevelop across the central High Plains later today into early Saturday morning.
 
 

Latest

U.S. drillers add oil and gas rigs to 586
Cold-Link Logistics will create 123 new jobs in Robeson County, North Carolina
ArcelorMittal plans Alabama mill to produce electrical steel, will create 1,300+ jobs
Manhattan Tunnel Project estimated to create 15,800 new jobs

NEWS

EPPO probes steel import tax fraud with searches in UK and Germany

Police investigate extensive data breach on Valio’s network
U.S.: Prolonged heavy rain and snowfall
Croatia: Investigation launched against 2 individuals and 1 company suspected of subsidy fraud
Latvia-Sweden subsea cable damaged in Baltic Sea
Storm brings rain and snow to southwest U.S.; snow on higher elevations
 

BUSINESS

U.S. oil rig count rises to 479

New York AG warns businesses against price gouging of eggs and poultry amid bird flu outbreak
Firms admit laundering Russian wood into EU
U.S. oil and gas rig count falls to 576
Kansas Governor announces $25M for Stafford County Transload Facility Project
Ukraine planning to resume port concessions in 2025
 

Trending Now

EU to support Envision AESC France's production of batteries for electric vehicles

Denmark supports hydrogen pipeline to Germany with $1.1bn of subsidies

EU invests over €1.2 billion in cross-border infrastructure

More nuclear power plants will be approved across England and Wales


POLITICS

South Africa raises national minimum wage to $1.55 per hour

Moldova announces tender for constructing wind, solar parks worth 200 mln euros
Denmark supports hydrogen pipeline to Germany with $1.1bn of subsidies
EU invests over €1.2 billion in cross-border infrastructure
More nuclear power plants will be approved across England and Wales
Colorado and United Kingdom sign agreement to foster trade and investment
 

Today We Recommend

Moldova announces tender for constructing wind, solar parks worth 200 mln euros


Highlights 

Cold-Link Logistics will create 123 new jobs in Robeson County, North Carolina

ArcelorMittal plans Alabama mill to produce electrical steel, will create 1,300+ jobs

Manhattan Tunnel Project estimated to create 15,800 new jobs


COMPANIES

Egypt unveils new Suez Canal navigation charts for expanded route

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd launch Gemini Cooperation
EU to support Envision AESC France's production of batteries for electric vehicles
Ooredoo and ASN to build subsea cable for GCC countries and Iraq
Pratt & Whitney to expand manufacturing operations in North Carolina, create 325 jobs
GE Vernova to create 75 new jobs in Schenectady County, New York
 

CAREERS

Inizio appoints Colin Stanley as chief commercial officer

Bridgewest Group names operating partner and general manager, Europe
Keith Hale named group CEO to Unite Titian Software & Labguru (BioData)
Solithor appoints new CEO
McWin appoints Guillaume Charlin as managing partner
PrecisionLife: Bill Keating new chief commercial officer, diagnostics and healthcare
 

ECONOMY

U.S. becomes New Zealand's second largest export destination

Indonesia goes from $0.6 billion deficit to $5.9 billion surplus
Greece to repay $5.3 billion bailout debt early
Fraser Institute: Canada’s debt ranking falls from best in G7 to 7th worst
Kuwait reports $5.2 bln budget deficit in FY 2023-24
Eurozone reports modest Q1 GDP growth, stable annual inflation
 

EARNINGS

Ericsson Q2 sales down but North America up

Lockton revenue $3.55 billion
Motorcar Parts of America Q4 sales $189.5 million
Limoneira Q2 revenue $44.6 million
Lululemon athletica Q1 revenue increased 10% to $2.2 billion
PVH Q1 GAAP EBIT $205 million
 

OP-ED

Micromanaging is the worst enemy of efficiency and teamwork

Niger set to monetize massive gas reserves through Saharan natural gas pipeline
Putting the brakes on EV folly that choked the market
Oil discovery in Kavango Basin may mean huge benefits for Namibians
Cape Town and Dubai battle over Africa's energy future
Is America going to lose its superpower status?
 

AGRIFISH

U.S. resumes cattle and bison imports from Mexico under new protocol

Canada considers lowering tebuconazole residue limit on grapes, impacting U.S. imports
How expensive was agricultural land in Europe in 2023
Iran to import 50,000 tons of potatoes to stabilize prices amid rising food costs
JBS and partners donate 3 million tags to improve livestock traceability in Pará, Brazil
Hong Kong suspends of poultry meat and products from areas in U.S.
 

LEADERSHIP

Study: Missing a deadline has a bigger impact than you might think

Employers prefer younger job candidates for AI roles although experienced workers perform same or better
Study finds workers misjudge wage markets
Some organizations may need to expand their hierarchical structures earlier than others
Study finds there's right way and wrong way to deliver negative feedback in workplace
Allyship is critical and its needs appreciation
 

CRIME

Commission fines Pierre Cardin and its licensee Ahlers €5.7 million for restricting cross-border sales of clothing

BHP, Vale agree to pay $30B damages for Brazil dam disaster
Commission fines České dráhy and Österreichische Bundesbahnen €48.7 million over collusion to exclude common compe
SEC charges Keurig with making inaccurate statements regarding recyclability of K-Cup beverage pod
SEC charges John Deere with FCPA violations for subsidiary’s role in Thai bribery scheme
AG Bonta secures $3.9 million settlement with cryptocurrency company Robinhood
 

Magazine

TRAVEL

Radisson Hotel Group debuts in the heart of Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis

Morocco’s first Radisson branded hotel opens in Casablanca
Buna channels, an unreal and beautiful part of Bosnia and Herzegovina
JW Marriott unveils Mindful Haven with opening of JW Marriott Hotel Nairobi
Sotheby's Sports Week returns with fantastic artifacts
Red Roof properties open in Michigan
 

SEA, LAND, AIR

Citroën C3 Aircross, the most affordable compact SUV with 7 seats

2025 Chevrolet Equinox stands apart with fresh looks and capability
Hill Helicopters HX50, luxury in the sky
Opel Movano becomes fully equipped camper van
Porsche Panamera, new hybrid variants
Dodge Charger, 670 horsepower of electric
 

DESIGN

Cold night, hot fire pit, cool entertainment

Embellish your home with PVC panels
You'll have to hurry if you want one of 20 new Louis Vuitton watches
Luxury duvet looks good, fells good and keeps you healthy
Vacheron Constantin, watches for life and more
Schüller kitchens, where functionality marries design
 

GADGETS

MESA/Boogie Celebrates 40-year partnership with John Petrucci

reMarkable 2, monochrome tablet for your thoughts and your eyes
OnePlus Ace 3V, first with Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3
ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, flagship with a reason
Samsung Galaxy S24 is photography powerhouse
Casette tapes are making a big comeback, and so are portable players
 

HEALTH

Human cases of anthrax reported in western Mongolia

One more barrier to developing vaccine for HIV removed
Rwanda begins world's first clinical trial for treatment of Marburg virus disease
Rwanda restricts gatherings amid Marburg virus outbreak, to begin trials of vaccine
Teksas Attorney General reaches settlement in first-of-its-kind healthcare generative AI investigation
Potentially deadly fungal disease spreading in California
 

MEANTIME

India launches space docking experiment mission

World-first carbon-14 diamond battery made
Einstein Telescope step closer
Exoplanet-hunting telescope to begin search for another Earth in 2026
India to build first phase of its own space station by 2028
Roscosmos chief approves schedule of creating Russian orbital station through 2033