PERTH/BRISBANE AUS TAKES POUNDING FROM THUNDERSTORMS

[tropicana]

Perth left reeling from thunderstorms' fury


TUES MAY 17th 2005


PERTH - Severe winds and torrential rain Monday ripped through the southwest of Western Australia, blocking roads, damaging buildings, felling trees, bringing down power lines and closing schools.
Hundreds of State Emergency Service volunteers were called to incidents across Perth and further south.

The town of Bunbury, 180km south of Perth, appears to have been the worst affected by the line of severe thunderstorms Monday.
Staff at the town's ABC radio station were lucky to escape with their lives after a 38m crane collapsed on their building.

Some schools in the town were forced to close, the roof of the town's cathedral was damaged and numerous businesses and homes also lost roofs.

Bicton, 15km south of Perth, was also battered, and the suburb's primary school was badly affected.
State Emergency Service spokeswoman Nita Gill said there had been calls to 500 incidents across the city, and 150 volunteers had been asked to help.

The main problems were fallen power lines, trees across roads and on roofs, and collapsed ceilings. A further 150 SES volunteers had been called out in the southwest region, Ms Gill said.

In Perth, traffic was backed up by flooding and debris on roads, blacked out traffic lights and a crane in danger of toppling on to a highway.
A police spokesman said there had been numerous serious crashes.

Wind gusts peaked at 142km/h at Rottnest Island, just off Perth, and reached 100km/h in the city's suburbs, meteorologists said.

Hundreds of schoolchildren were handed an unexpected day off by the wild weather. Bunbury Senior High School, Roleystone Primary School and Shelley Primary School were all closed.
- AAP

-justin-

[tropicana]

NOW BRISBANE GETS POUNDED

Thu May 19th 2005

Homes were damaged, power supplies cut and buildings at flooded when a torrential downpour hit the city late on Thursday.
The storm struck about 5.30pm AEST, dumping centimetres of hail in and around Brisbane, damaging cars and buildings at the ABC media complex, in the inner western suburb of Toowong.

The ABC was unable to put its Queensland news to air and had to take a feed from Sydney.
The extent of the damage was still being assessed.

Drivers in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs reported large hailstones centimetres deep, resembling snow.
Vehicles in caryards also suffered damage.

State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers were kept busy with at least 40 call-outs to homes with broken roofs, guttering or windows or trees brought down, an SES spokeswoman said.

Electricity distributor Energex said about 5000 homes were without power in the suburbs of Annerley, Coorparoo, East Brisbane, Norman Park, Holland Park West, Moorooka, Tarragindi, Chelmer, Graceville, Sunnybank and Sherwood at the height of the storm.

More than 150 lightning strikes were recorded in the Brisbane area.
Energex advised people tempted to clean up storm damage to first ensure live powerlines were not entangled in trees and other debris.

-justin-