PERTH, Australia (AP) -- One of the strongest cyclones on record left a trail of destruction along Australia's northwest coast Monday with 140 mph winds ravaging towns, closing ports and halting mining operations.
A 47-year-old man was missing and presumed dead after refusing to evacuate from an area at the base of the Exmouth Gulf, near where Cyclone Vance made its landfall Monday morning.When it hit shore, Vance was classed as Category 5 cyclone, the most powerful level. It lost some force once over land and was reclassed as a Category 4 in the evening. Cyclone is the term used for a hurricane in the Indian Ocean.
The town of Exmouth, 780 miles northwest of Perth, bore the brunt of the damage with 112 homes destroyed and a trailer park flattened. A third of the town's houses sustained structural damage, State Emergency Services regional director Ross Holmes said.
At Onslow, 80 miles northeast of Exmouth, half its 840 residents were evacuated, and there were reports of widespread flooding and property damage.
The coastal region is relatively sparsely populated, but it is a center for mining. Four oil and gas and mining operations were forced to close, and the ports of Port Hedland, Cape Lambert and Dampier suspended operations.
The Exmouth power station was shut down for safety reasons. It sustained flood damage, with water seeping through the building, a spokesman said.