A Ridgley property was ripped apart in the early hours of yesterday morning, with the ceilings, walls and windows damaged by a violent gust.

Police closed Reibey Street at  Ulverstone about 3pm yesterday as crews worked overtime to remove a power pole hanging precariously over the road.

Thirteen-year-old Tyler Richardson, of Sunnyside, had a lucky escape when a falling tree narrowly missed him.

The large tree,  knocked over by a strong gust, landed in front of Tyler.

On the West Coast, emergency crews were bracing for the worst overnight, with tides set to reach their peak early this morning.

Winds reached as high as 130km/h overnight and rivers were severely swollen.

‘‘Everything is peaking now and at absolute full capacity,’’ Strahan volunteer firefighter Liz Hamer said last night.

‘‘If this breeze stays westerly everything in West Strahan will be flooded tomorrow.’’

The weather caused a number of power pole fires across the North-West yesterday.

The weather also caused a number of schools to close.

The Department of Education said that as of last night, no schools on the North-West were scheduled to be closed today.