Associated Press

Wild wind and flooding rain lash southeast Australian state

Wild weather in southeast Australia toppled trees, trapping people in cars and houses, cut power to more than 200,000 homes and unleashed flooding that claimed at least one life. The extraordinary weather system that hit Victoria state and its capital, Melbourne, Wednesday night brought wind gusts of up to 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour and up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain, officials said. People in around 220 homes threatened by a swollen creek were ordered to evacuate at Traralgon, east of Melbourne, officials said.