Residents pick up the pieces as wild weather weakens​on February 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm

Regional West Australian towns lashed by a cyclone face being isolated for days with limited food supplies as communities begin to count the cost of the destructive weather event.

Cyclone Zelia made landfall at Port Hedland, in north-west WA as a category four, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds, but has weakened to a tropical low as it tracks southwards.

There were no reported deaths or injuries in the state, Premier Roger Cook said, as on-alert communities escaped the worst of the cyclone.

Emergency crews in WA have begun assessing the damage but the downgraded weather system is still dumping significant rain on parts of the Pilbara region, exacerbating flooding.

Major roads have flooded, cutting off critical connections for supply deliveries including the Northwest Coastal Highway between Port Hedland and Broome.

“We’re working closely with the major supermarkets to ensure the Pilbara and Kimberley remain well-supplied while the road closures are in place,” Cook said.

Emergency warnings remain for people in the Pilbara towns of Warralong and Marble Bar, with WA Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm warning heavy rain and flooding was not expected to subside until next week.

The DeGrey River is expected to reach major flood levels at the Great Northern Highway.