Roughly 300 residents of Richmond, Melbourne have been ordered to evacuate their homes after severe winds damaged a crane hanging some 40 metres above their homes.
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Extremely strong gusts hit the city’s inner south-east overnight, severely buckling a crane near the intersection of Bridge Road and Lennox Street.
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Police notified the residents at around 10pm, after emergency services determined the crane posed a potential threat to homes in the region.
A makeshift evacuation centre was established at Richmond Town Hall, where a dozen residents spent the night. The Age reports others affected by the evacuation booked into hotels or stayed with friends and relatives.
Victoria Police have closed sections of Bridge Road as emergency services continue to assess damage to the crane. Tram services along Bridge Road have been partially replaced by substitute bus services.
The crane is one of many structures damaged during by the gusts. Dozens of trees were felled across the city, and the State Emergency Service responded to damaged buildings in Malvern East, Port Melbourne, and Glen Waverley, among others.
The Bureau Of Meteorology reports gusts of 111 km/h were reported in St Kilda overnight. A severe weather warning remains in place for Melbourne and large swathes of the state, with gusts as high as 90 km/h predicted throughout the day.
Check the full warning HERE.
