Posted by 
Relief payments will be available to residents left devastated after a freak tornado ripped through homes and buildings in a Western Australian town.
The 60-metre-wide tornado, with wind speeds of over 150 kilometres per hour, hit the Bunbury suburb of Withers about 4pm (6pm AEST) on Friday.
Seven homes were deemed uninhabitable and about a hundred more were damaged.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook announced relief payments are now on offer.
Up to $4000 can be claimed for locals whose homes were completely destroyed and up to $2000 will be for those who suffered severe damage.
“This has been a very frightening occasion for those who have been impacted directly,” Cook said.
WA Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the payments will help get residents back on their feet.
READ MORE: Flash floods and lava kill at least 15 in Indonesia
“The Premier’s payment is really just to help residents over the next few days to find their feet, find temporary accommodation where they need if we’re not providing it or to buy clothes or whatever they need,” he said.
A HAZMAT warning is currently in place for those bounded by Hudson Drive, Bussell Highway, Washington Drive and Ocean Drive in Withers due to potential asbestos risk.
Residents have been warned to take precautions.
“They need to wear appropriate PPE or respiratory protection or they can of course ring DFES and get assistance through that means as well,” Dawson said.
Power has also been restored across Bunbury, after thousands of homes were cut off when the tornado hit.
