Tropical Cyclone Seroja Batters Western Australia

Tropical cyclone Seroja devastated coastal towns in Western Australia over the weekend. The storm destroyed homes and left thousands without electricity. According to the Washington Post:

Severe wind gusts of up to 105 miles per hour tore houses apart and sent debris flying all over Kalbarri, a coastal tourist town of 1,350 people in Western Australia. Authorities estimated some 70 percent of the town’s buildings were damaged.

The storm made landfall a category 3 around 8 PM on Sunday and weakened as it moved inland. While Western Australian is no stranger to a cyclone, it is rare to see them strike as low as the Kalbarri region.

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Jonathan Nott, a geography professor at James Cook University, said, “Climate change is likely to mean disasters such as Tropical Cyclone Seroja will become more intense and will be seen further south in Australia more often. In this regard, Seroja may be a timely wake-up call.”

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