A powerful tropical cyclone, Zelia, is battering Australia's northwest coast and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening. International media reports that the monster storm has raised major concerns for Western Australia, as it is expected to bring destructive winds and flooding to the region that is home to ports and mines that are crucial to the global economy.
Port Hedland is the largest town expected to be hit by the storm and is also the largest iron ore exporting port. Strong winds could extend to other areas along the coast, and inland to areas such as Marble Bar, Tom Price and Paraburdoo.
Even if Zelia doesn't directly hit cities, it could cause a lot of damage. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting extremely dangerous sustained winds of around 205 kilometres per hour and even stronger winds, at 290 km/h, which could flatten homes, trees, power lines and infrastructure.
This is a Category 5 cyclone, which is the most severe possible on the current scale. But as climate change worsens, authorities may need to add another category to the scale.
The storm has forced ports in the region to suspend operations. Port Hedland, one of the world's largest iron ore ports, was closed on Wednesday. Dampier Port, which is used by Rio Tinto, and Varanus Island Port, which is used as a processing center for oil and other fuels, were closed on Thursday afternoon.
The storm is expected to make landfall between the towns of Karratha, home to about 22,000 people, and Port Hedland, which has about 16,000 residents. Major roads in the region have been closed since Thursday, as have shops, national parks and dozens of schools. (A2 Televizion)
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