The tail end of one of Australia’s largest cyclones triggered wild storms and flash flooding at the other end of the country, while residents at the epicentre picked through what was left of their homes.

A MASSIVE cyclone crashed into northeastern Australia yesterday, ripping roofs from buildings and cutting power to thousands of homes, but leaving the scale of disaster unknown as officials and residents holed up while the tempest raged.

A massive cyclone was tonight battering north-eastern Australia, tearing roofs off buildings, toppling trees and cutting power to thousands.

Strong winds and driving rain began buffeting north-east Australia today as one of the country’s biggest storms arrived.

Police ordered remaining residents to get off the streets today as one of Australia’s biggest-ever storms bore down on the north-east.

Tens of thousands of Australians stockpiled food and waited in sturdy shelters today as a monster cyclone approached the north east coast with furious winds, rain and surging seas on a scale unseen in generations.

AUSTRALIA evacuated thousands of people from its northeast coast yesterday as a cyclone rivalling Hurricane Katrina bore down on tourism towns and rural communities, with officials saying it could even threaten areas deep inland that were ruined by floods last month.

AUSTRALIA’S Queensland state is facing one of the worst cyclones in its history, officials warned yesterday, bringing wild winds and potentially devastating rainfall to areas still awash with floods.

A cyclone is racing towards Australia’s flood-ravaged north-east, rattling nerves throughout a region that has already suffered billions of dollars worth of damage from a months-long crisis.

Floods poured into Brisbane’s empty centre today after leaving a deadly trail across the region in what could be its most devastating floods in a century.

Rescuers raced today to reach people trapped on roofs after a flash flood hurled a tsunami-like wall of water through Australia’s waterlogged east, tossing cars like toys, killing at least eight people and leaving 72 missing.

Flash floods swept through a north-eastern Australian community today, killing one woman, trapping others in cars and leaving some clinging to trees as relentless rains brought more misery to a region battling its worst flooding in decades.

New thunderstorms brought more pounding rains to a waterlogged coastal community in north-eastern Australia today as a mayor said it could take a year to fully recover from the worst flooding in decades.

A WOMAN drowned after trying to cross a flooded causeway in Australia, becoming the first victim of relentless flooding that one official has described as reaching “biblical proportions,” police said yesterday.

AUSTRALIA’S Bureau of Meteorology issued a shipping alert after a iceberg was spotted 1,700km off the south-western coast.

NEW ZEALAND and Australia temporarily issued tsunami warnings yesterday after an earthquake struck the south of New Zealand, causing minor damage but no injuries.

Torrential rains and strong winds left one man dead and forced thousands to flee their homes on Australia’s eastern coast, officials said today.

Thousands of firefighters in southern Australia were on alert today over fears that strong winds and dry conditions could whip still-burning wildfires into a dangerous new threat to residents.

Survivors from Australian towns razed by the worst wildfires in the country’s history returned to their homes for the first time today to be confronted by utter devastation.

Southern Australia suffered a record-breaking heatwave that has threatened rural towns with wildfires and sent ambulance crews after heat-stressed patients.

Violent storms have torn across Australia’s east coast, sweeping one man to his death, blowing roofs off houses and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of buildings.

A series of powerful earthquakes jolted Indonesia in less than 24 hours, sending a 10-foot tsunami crashing to shore and damaging hundreds of houses as panicked residents fled to the hills.

A second powerful earthquake in as many days jolted Southeast Asia and triggered a regional tsunami warning today, damaging hundreds of buildings along Indonesia’s western coast and sending panicked residents fleeing inland.

Three people were reported to have been killed as cyclonic winds and rain ripped across Australia’s north-western coast today, tearing roofs from houses in remote towns and laying waste to at least one mining camp.

THE pace of global warming is faster across Australia than in other parts of the world, climatologists said yesterday.

RESIDENTS of the northern Australian city of Darwin were last night preparing for the onslaught of a severe tropical cyclone predicted to be one of the worst storms ever to hit Australia.

A tropical cyclone packing winds of up to 137 mph lashed Australia’s remote north-eastern coast today, a month after another storm left thousands in the region homeless.

The remote north-west Australian fishing town of Onslow was lashed by torrential rain and winds gusting at 100 mph as a severe tropical cyclone crossed the coast today from the Indian Ocean, government weather authorities said.

A massive cyclone tore off roofs and uprooted trees across Australia’s north-eastern coast today, packing winds so powerful that emergency workers were forced to stay indoors, despite pleas from terrified residents.

A massive cyclone with wind gusts up to 162 mph battered Australia’s sparsely populated northwest coast today after flattening island communities in its path over the past week.

Wild storms lashed eastern Australia overnight, tearing roofs off houses, toppling trees and flooding roads, emergency services said today. At least one person was feared swept away by the surging waters.

The Australian city of Darwin and nearby communities escaped the fury of Cyclone Debbie today as it weakened to a storm before passing over land.

Hundreds of firefighters today battled about 70 blazes across Australia’s most populous state, as the flames were fed by strong winds and unusually warm spring weather.