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'Marcia' Hurricane Keeps Ravaging Australia

© REUTERS / Jason Reed A wooden bed sits at the corner of what used to be a room in the home of Melanie Cobb's (R) grandmother after Cyclone Marcia hit the coastal town of Yeppoon in northeastern Australia
A wooden bed sits at the corner of what used to be a room in the home of Melanie Cobb's (R) grandmother after Cyclone Marcia hit the coastal town of Yeppoon in northeastern Australia - Sputnik International
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Raging hurricane “Marcia” is so powerful that local authorities urged citizens to seek shelter in the sturdiest rooms of the buildings – water closets.

The Category 5 hurricane, the severest on the scale, struck the west coast of Australia early Friday.

It plowed through the towns of Yeppon and Rockhampton, tearing roofs of the buildings, uprooting trees and breaking power lines. More than 33,000 thousand houses were left without electricity.

Local authorities urged citizens to stay indoors and avoid using roads.

When the hurricane struck the coast it had sustained wind speeds of 127mph (205km/h), with gusts up to 177mph(285km/h). Currently the hurricane has weakened to a Category 3, but it still poses a considerable threat as it moves south.

Originally, when the cyclone was spotted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, they forecasted a much weaker storm to hit the coast, but according to their statement it "strengthened very rapidly during Thursday."

Another Category 4 cyclone “Lam” hit the north coast yesterday. According to the official information it made landfall at the uninhabited area and thus did not do much damage.

Tropical storm ratings are classified by wind speed. When it reaches 39mph (62km/h) storm becomes a Category 1 hurricane, while a Category 5 starts from 155mph(250km/h).

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