In photos: Australia’s summer of disasters
AS EASTERN AUSTRALIA RECOVERS from last month’s heavy flooding and last week’s category-5 cyclone, Perth in the west is tackling serious wildfires which have destroyed dozens of homes. The Lord Mayor of Perth has opened an appeal to assist the victims of the fires as officials have been reading lists of homes which have been destroyed or damaged in the fires. Police have closed off bushfire zones, but residents in some areas have been allowed to return to their homes, according to WA Today. The fire is believed to have started by sparks from someone using an angle-grinder and has now been contained. In the north-east of Australia, people are still surveying the damage caused by Cyclone Yasi last week, which destroyed over 150 homes. ABC News reports that another 651 houses are uninhabitable, 2,275 suffered some damage, and about 55,000 homes are still without power. Queensland suffered heavy flooding throughout late December and January after heavy rains fell for weeks in the region. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes and some towns and cities are still cleaning up. Today, a huge sinkhole opened up in Brisbane, according to the Courier Mail, and is believed to have been caused by the recent floods.
In photos: Australia’s summer of disasters 
Bushfires raging on the outskirts of Perth in Western Australia have destroyed homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Dave Hancock captured this image in the early hours of Monday, 7 February 2011.
