MELBOURNE — Tropical cyclone Seroja strengthened off Western Australia on Sunday, with emergency services opening shelters in preparation for high winds and coastal flooding later in the evening.
Officials asked residents in the town of Denham, Shark Bay, 500 kilometers (311 miles) north of Perth to evacuate while sandbags were being made available to residents of Geraldton, further down the coast, due to potential storm surge.
“There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a cyclone is approaching the area. You need to take action and get ready to shelter from a cyclone,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said in a bulletin.
The category 2 cyclone was ra…
Keep on reading: Evacuation centers open as cyclone intensifies off Western Australia