Record-strength cyclone lashes Australian coast

The badly damaged Whim Creek Hotel is shown from the air on Wednesday after Cyclone John battered Western Australia.

December 15, 1999
Web posted at: 10:19 a.m. EST (1519 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

In this story: 'No one has been through one this big' Storm heading south-southeast RELATED STORIES, SITES

PERTH, Australia (CNN) -- The most powerful cyclone ever recorded in Australia ravaged its northwestern coast Wednesday, forcing hundreds of evacuations and damaging homes before losing strength later in the day. There were no reports of deaths or injuries.

Cyclone John, which at its peak had sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts up to 185 mph, moved over land near the tiny community of Whim Creek early Wednesday with driving rains and winds that caused power outages.

The storm was heading south-southeast.

Reporter Tanya Nollan told CNN she was waiting to hear how the dozen residents of Whim Creek, about 750 miles north of Perth, fared. The community's telephone lines were down, and they had taken overnight refuge in a shipping container that was anchored to the ground with chains and concrete blocks.

MESSAGE BOARD Australia     RESOURCES Weather: Perth, Australia

Two evacuation centers were established in Karratha. Jim McDougall, assistant manager of the town's Mercure Inn, said palm fronds had begun to blow off trees and the rain was coming in horizontally.

"No one has been through one this big. I just hope the roof stays on," he said. "There's not much you can do, just wait it out."

Kevin Richards, a top Karratha city official, compared the strong winds battering the town to the sound of "a never-ending freight train."

Nollan said she was evacuated from her home in a low-lying area on Tuesday. She spent the night at a television studio.

She said she was concerned about a storm surge. She said the cyclone carried piercing winds, and the rain felt like needles beating into her face.

"It was really intense," Nollan said.

Satellite image taken 6.39am EST

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Bryan Boase said it was "unequivocally" the strongest cyclone to hit Australia since the government began keeping records.

"We're looking at winds of almost 300 kilometers (185 miles) an hour and quite frankly, that's bloody unbelievable," he said.

The bureau at one point declared the cyclone a Category 5, the most powerful hurricane. Cyclone is the term used for hurricanes in the Indian Ocean.

Cyclone John lost power as it crossed the coast, and was downgraded to Category 4 later Wednesday. It was still packing winds of 106 mph.

The cyclone forced offshore oil fields and iron ore ports to close in the remote, mineral-rich Pilbara region. An official with North Ltd's Robe River iron ore unit said the company had evacuated its Cape Lambert port. Other mineral firms also shut down.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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