‘Very dangerous': Cyclone Veronica to bring 4m storm surge to northern WA

Residents in Western Australia’s far north are bracing for dangerous storm surges caused by Cyclone Veronica, while Northern Territory residents are slowly returning home as ex-cyclone Trevor circles back towards Queensland.

A satellite image of cyclones Trevor and Veronica lashing nothern Australia.

Trevor crossed the mainland as a category 4 storm on Sunday morning, producing wind gusts of 230km/h around the NT’s border with Queensland, but shortly after midnight, the storm was downgraded to a tropical low.

The first repatriation flight carrying people back to Angurugu and Umbakumba took off on Sunday morning, and further plans are being made as assessors sweep through properties to see if they are safe.

Read the story from The Guardian  - “‘Very dangerous': Cyclone Veronica to bring 4m storm surge to northern WA.”

Queensland bushfires continue to burn as residents start returning home

Gracemere residents are returning home after fire conditions classed as catastrophic on Wednesday resulted in a rapid evacuation of the town, south of Rockhampton, while residents south of Mackay are describing their own fire emergency as like seeing "the door to hell".

Thousands of residents were forced to leave Gracemere on Wednesday.

About 50 residents at Campwin Beach, on the Queensland coast south of Mackay, were forced to leave their homes at 2:00am today to seek shelter on other parts of the beach as a blaze threatened their homes.

Sarina Beach resident Vicky Crichton said she was woken by authorities telling her to evacuate her home.

Read the ABC News story - “Queensland bushfires continue to burn as residents start returning home.”