TMCnet News
Cyclone Glenda batters W. Australia(UPI Top Stories Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Cyclone Glenda battered the western Australian coast Thursday, with offshore oil and gas platforms reporting gusts of 150 mph. The Weather Bureau's Grant Elliot told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the coastal town of Onslow had received more than five inches of rain in two hours, and wind gusts of 100 mph. Glenda hit the northwestern shores Wednesday and was working southward at about 15 mph, meaning some communities were battered by gale-force winds for more than 20 hours, forecasters said. Glenda forced the closure of Australia's two biggest export ports, at Dampier and Port Hedland, shut down Chevron Australia's offshore oil operations and suspended BHP Billiton and Woodside's floating oil production facilities, The Australian newspaper reported. There were no reports of deaths or injuries late Thursday. |