WA: WA braces for yet another cyclone

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2006
WA: WA braces for yet another cyclone

PERTH, April 7 AAP - A cyclone menacing Western Australia's north looks set to be the
fourth to cross the Pilbara coast this year.

The region is bracing itself for the category two Cyclone Hubert, expected cross the
WA coast west of Onslow tonight or early tomorrow morning.

The weather bureau says at last report Hubert was about 195km north of Onslow and 240km
north northwest of Exmouth, moving south, southwest at 12km per hour.

But it was not expected to intensify and may even weaken before reaching land, the bureau said.

Gale-force winds of up to 100kph were forecast along the west Pilbara coast this morning,
but more destructive winds were expected in coastal areas between Exmouth and Mardie this
afternoon or tonight.

The Karratha, Roebourne, Dampier, Onslow, Exmouth and Mardie communities were placed
on blue alert, meaning cyclone damage was likely.

Onslow's senior police officer Sergeant Bill Allan said local residents were prepared
for their second cyclone in just over a week, following Cyclone Glenda.

About 12 hours of continuous rain had resulted in some local flooding but so far no
buildings had been damaged, he said.

And there had been no evacuations.

"The central wind gusts are 150kph," he said. "One hundred and fifty is still a good
gust of wind and they can do as just as much damage as Glenda's, and I think Glenda were
150-160kph."

Major resource projects in the region were taking precautions, either shutting down
or moving operations.

Woodside Petroleum, Santos and BHP Billiton have all moved some facilities and shut down others.

Rio Tinto has started securing its port operations at Dampier.

Hubert is WA's seventh cyclone of the season and if it does make land, it will be the
fourth to do so in the Pilbara region this year.

The last time that happened was six years ago.

"We went back through the records and the last time we had four crossings was in the
season 1999/2000 so, it's the best part of six years," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster
Neil Bennett told ABC radio today.

"And all in the one area, all through that western Pilbara region."

Category four storm Glenda crossed the coast at Onslow on March 30, Cyclone Emma crossed
in February and Clare in January.

AAP den/it/sp

KEYWORD: HUBERT NIGHTLEAD

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