JAKARTA - Thousands of residents in the state of Queensland, Australia, experienced a power outage on Sunday, January 11, after being hit by Hurricane Koji.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said tropical cyclone or Koji hurricane, which is in category one, brought extreme rain accompanied by strong winds that damaged the area between Ayr and Bowen, about 500 kilometers north of the state capital Brisbane, before weakening to a tropical low pressure.
The storm, with winds gusting up to 95 kph (59 mph) and heavy rain, then hit coastal towns including Mackay, a tourism hub and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
Queensland state Premier David Crisafulli said about 15,000 properties or homes were left without power due to Cyclone Koji. The impact of the natural disaster also damaged houses and boats, as well as closed roads.
Crisafulli added that Koji brought rainfall of up to 200 mm to several areas on Saturday night local time and is expected to cause heavy rain over the next 24 to 48 hours.
"There is a possibility of flooding, Queensland residents will deal with it," he said in a televised statement from Brisbane, quoted by Reuters.
Previously, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described flash flooding as a "major risk" in most of Queensland's coastal areas.
The weather forecast says the bad weather is likely to continue on Sunday local time before it may ease on Monday.
Koji's storm comes after the state was hit by Alfred in March, a weakened tropical cyclone that brought strong winds and heavy rain, and cut power to hundreds of thousands of people.
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