HEAVY rains and wind gusts reaching 140km/h have lashed Perth and the southwest causing widespread damage to homes and buildings.
Several people were trapped in a block of units in Tuart Hill this afternoon after the roof was ripped off their unit complex.
Western Power has diverted all crews to emergency work following extensive damage to the electricity network this afternoon. At 4.30pm (WST), a spokeswoman said 161,000 households were without power.
More than 150 wires and more than 50 poles have been brought down by the storms in the metropolitan area.
"The storm is still impacting the network, particularly in the south-west of the state," she said.
Among other serious damage, a crane has collapsed on to the QEII Medical Centre in Nedlands, trees have fallen onto cars in Applecross and Winthrop, Riverside Drive in the city has been flooded because of the swelling river and shipping containers have been blown off their stacks in Fremantle Port.
Ferry services to and from Rottnest Island also have been affected because of the rough weather, and flights have been delayed, although none cancelled, at Perth Airport.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has answered more than 135 calls for help so far today, with volunteers responding to only the most serious of incidents.
One hundred SES volunteers from 18 units are attending to major structural damage, making temporary repairs to homes, fixing minor roof damage and removing fallen trees from homes, cars and fences.
A Bureau of Metrology spokesman said the strongest wind gust recorded today was 139km/h at Cape Naturalise about 2pm.
The spokesman said the bureau had not recorded any tornados today - although residents in certain parts of the state could be forgiven for thinking a tornado passed through their area.
“We’ve had some very destructive wind gusts just as powerful as the tornado this week (in Dianella),” the spokesman said.
“We are expecting some significant damage to homes without a tornado, just because of the storm itself."
Several people working in laboratories at the QEII Medical Centre were evacuated following the crane collapse, but a hospital spokeswoman said no patients or hospital staff had been evacuated.
In Tuart Hill, emergency services personnel are trying to find accommodation for people left homeless after the roof of their apartment block was blown off.
In Dawesville, residents reported that the tide was so high water covered the jetty and flooded the car park. Several boats have been washed up and trees are all over the road.
Worst affected
The worst wind conditions are being experienced on the coast between Bunbury and Augusta. By late afternoon conditions will have eased on the west coast and the worst condition will be confined to south coastal parts. Through the evening winds are expected to ease throughout the warning area.
Yallingup resident Tegan Arnold said the south-west had been hit hard by the storm with strong winds causing many trees to fall, including some on to cars.
Steve from the tourist destination the Yallingup Shearing Shed said it was the worst devastation he had ever seen on his farm in 50 years.
He said he could hear the winds coming up the valley and then the strong winds hit with trees falling all around his business and on a car in the carpark.
Power out
Western Power is urging people to stay away from any fallen power lines or poles and to treat any broken power lines as if they were live.
A spokeswoman said the state's electricity network had suffered widespread damage because of the strong wind gusts affecting most of the southern part of the state.
"Western Power crews are attending to public safety hazards - but with so many damaged areas Western Power is urging people to stay away from any fallen power lines and to treat all lines as if they were live," the spokeswoman said.
"The Waikiki sub-station has lost power which is affecting more than 9000 customers in that area and there are more than 30 faults on the network each affecting close to 5000 customers."
In the metropolitan area Western Power has recorded more than 500 jobs. The most impact has been in the southern suburbs. In the south west more than 250 jobs have been recorded.
Areas of major impact include Waikiki, Mandurah, Boddington, Margaret River, Bunbury and Busselton where there are widespread power outages.
A Rottnest Island Authority spokeswoman said conditions had improved on the island this afternoon and a ferry would be leaving Rottnest for Fremantle at 4.30pm taking all remaining visitors on the island back to the mainland.
She said the island itself had sustained some damage from the wild storm, including some vegetation damage, although the full extent of the damage is not yet known. She said no injuries had been reported.
Powerful winds
Early today, gusts of 98km/h were recorded in Mandurah about 12.30pm and gusts of 100km/h were recorded in Ocean Reef about 1.40pm.
The Bureau of Metrology has issued a severe weather warning for people in, near or between Geraldton, Jurien Bay, Dalwallinu, Southern Cross, Kalgoorlie, Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Bridgetown, Albany, Katanning, Narrogin, Bremer Bay and Esperance.
Higher than normal tides may result in flooding of low-lying coastal areas between Lancelin to Cape Leeuwin, particularly in Geographe Bay.
Dangerous surf conditions are also likely which could cause significant beach erosion.
