Australian Cyclone Shuts Oil Rigs, Forces Evacuations

Mining and oil companies in far western Australia shut down operations on Monday as a powerful cyclone headed toward the coast, forcing some residents to evacuate homes for storm shelters.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Cyclone Clare, the first of the season along Western Australia’s “cyclone alley”, recorded winds up to 220 kmh (140 mph) as it approached the sparsely populated stretch of coastline some 1,200 km (750 miles) north of Perth.