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‘People don’t even know what’s damaged … they are sheltering’
By Fran Rimrod
As of 7.45pm, Phil Tussin from the State Emergency Service in Kalbarri said the cyclone had started to cross the coast a short time ago.
At that stage, he said, the local SES had received just over 20 calls for help for roof and building damage, but reports kept flooding in.
“It’s crossing at the moment,” he said.
There were reports on social media that the cyclone had claimed whole buildings, but he said he could not confirm those.
“We won’t know until we go out and have a look,” Mr Tussin said.
“A lot of people don’t even know what the damage is, they just say that their house is being damaged and that they are sheltering.”
Residents have taken to barricading themselves in cupboards and bathrooms, according to social media reports.
Another poster on social media said: “Just lost a few windows, heard a few loud bangs, not going upstairs to see what happened until tomorrow, stuck in kitchen pantry.”
“We won’t know until we go out and have a look,” Mr Tussin said.
DFES fields dozens of calls for help from Kalbarri residents sheltering from severe cyclone
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has had about 30 calls for help from people in Kalbarri reporting extensive damage.
A DFES spokeswoman said there were reports of parts of building roofs blown off, and some people were calling for help while taking shelter under their beds.
But she said emergency services couldn’t go out to homes unless it was a life-threatening situation and it was deemed safe to do so.
The peak of the cyclone was expected to last about three hours.
As of 8pm, Bureau of Meteorology maps showed Tropical Cyclone Seroja’s core sitting just south of the coastal town, battering it with very damaging winds which had the potential to reach gusts of up to 170km/h.
Kalbarri feels brunt of Seroja’s wrath
Nine News Perth reporter Darius Winterfield is currently sheltering in Kalbarri – although that shelter was feeling the brunt of the storm as the category 3 cyclone closed in.
The reporter said the accommodation he was staying in overlooking the water at Kalbarri was copping considerable damage as Tropical Cyclone Seroja neared the coast.
“The roof over our balcony is gone, and we can see the main roof is now rattling loosely through the manhole inside,” Winterfield said.
“Water is flooding in through the glass balcony doors which are squeezing in and out with the wind, we were worried the glass would smash so my cameraman and link operator are barricaded in a small room at the back of the apartment with all our gear waiting for it to pass.”
Cyclone looms just kilometres off Kalbarri coast
Tropical Cyclone Seroja is looming off the Kalbarri coast, with the latest Bureau of Meteorology advice warning the system is bound south-west at a pace of about 50km/h.
“Impacts are occurring about the coast between Denham and Geraldton, and conditions will deteriorate further during this evening,” the advice warned.
Tropical Cyclone Seroja as of 7pm on Sunday.Credit:Bureau of Meteorology
Seroja has maintained its strength as a category 3 system, but is predicted to weaken as it moves inland later this evening.
Very destructive winds with gusts of up to 170km/h are predicted for Kalbarri, which is almost directly in the storm system’s path, while communities including Geraldton and potentially as far inland as Morawa have been urged to prepare for destructive winds with gusts of up to 150km/h.
There are also warnings of abnormally large tides causing inundation at the coast between Coral Bay and Lancelin, and serious flooding in the Denham and Shark Bay region and near Kalbarri.
“Dangerous surf and beach erosion is expected between Denham and Geraldton,” the BoM warned.
A cyclone red alert is in place for those south of Carnarvon to Lancelin, including the shires of Shark Bay, Northampton, Chapman Valley, Morawa, City of Greater Geraldton, Mingenew, Three Springs, Perenjori, Irwin the townsites of Coorow and Carnamah in the Midwest Gascoyne.
Mid West communities brace for Seroja’s impact
There are fears thousands of homes could suffer severe damage as Cyclone Seroja sweeps in from the Indian Ocean.
Power out in Kalbarri
Nine News Perth reporter Darius Winterfield, on the scene in Kalbarri, has just reported power has gone out in the coastal town.
Winterfield said there was no internet, and many had to resort to 3G coverage as the cyclone barrelled towards the coast.
Western Power reported power outages in Kalbarri and the surrounding areas, which lie almost directly in the path of Tropical Cyclone Serojoa.
As of 6pm AWST, the category 3 system was about 85 kilometres west/north-west of Kalbarri and on track to cross the coast at the same severe strength.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicted winds with gusts of up to 170km/h could hit Kalbarri as the cyclone moved ashore.
Kalbarri State Emergency Service earlier this evening warned power outages were expected soon and urged residents to brace for impact around 8pm.
The system is predicted to make landfall just south of Kalbarri.
Seroja maintains intensity, likely to be category three when it makes landfall
By Daile Cross
Though it had been thought that tropical cyclone Seroja would reduce in severity from a category 3 cyclone to category 2 before making landfall, the latest advice shows it has instead maintained its intensity over the past few hours and will likely remain category three when it passes over land.
A category 3 cyclone usually means a high risk of roof and structural damage and power failures.
A cyclone at this category will have very destructive winds with typical gusts over open flat land of 165-224 kilometres per hour.
The highest level of cyclone is category 5, which means widespread destruction and gusts to 280 kilometres per hour.
WATCH LIVE: The cyclone approaches the coast
Geraldton gets ready for destructive winds
By Daile Cross
There are reports of power outages in Geraldton already, with the cyclone’s most destructive winds expected to hit the town at about 9pm.
It is highly unusual for a cylone to reach as far south as Geraldton.
People near Geraldton may see gales as early as 6pm WST and are likely to experience a brief period of destructive winds around 9pm. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said if the cyclone’s track shifts a little south from the current forecast, Geraldton would experience a longer period of more intense winds.
Dangerous weather imminent as Seroja closes in on coast
By Daile Cross
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a new warning for people on the coast between Carnarvon and Lancelin, with a period of dangerous weather now imminent and the cyclone moving very quickly at about 45km/h.
The impact zone is expected to extend inland across areas of the southern Gascoyne and Central Wheatbelt overnight.
Coastal and island communities in the cyclone’s path can expect a period of unusually high tides, destructive winds and intense rainfall, the BoM said.
Seroja is expected to cross the coast between 7pm and 10pm (WST), most likely between the towns of Kalbarri and Geraldton.
Shark Bay is now experiencing damaging wind gusts.
Gusts of up to 165 kilometres per hour are being experienced near the centre of the cyclone. Wind gusts of this strength are very rare for the Central West coast.
The worst conditions at any one location are expected to last around three hours.
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2021-04-11 12:09:40Z
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