Dust storm blankets Australian cities in red haze

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A massive dust storm swept through parts of southern Australia on Wednesday, bathing them in a reddish haze and prompting health officials to warn asthma patients to take cover.

Susan Paget marveled at the eerie red view from the balcony of her apartment in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, and said she took the day off work to avoid the dust storm mess.

"It just feels dirty and rusty," Paget told CN*. "It was totally bizarre to wake up around 5:30 a.m. and see such a red bizarre sky."

A video Paget submitted to CN*'s iReport showed thick haze, which made it difficult to see her neighbors' homes.  See video of the red haze »

Health officials in Sydney warned residents to stay in indoors if possible, especially if they had asthma or heart and lung conditions.

"Avoid spending too much time outdoors due to the high particle levels and hazardous air quality," the New South Wales Department of Heath Web site said.  See images of the dust storm »

The Ambulance Service of New South Wales said the dust storm had kept it busy with emergency calls.

"We have already seen an increase in calls to people suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems," the agency said in a statement.

The country's bureau of meterology attributed the red haze to strong north-westerly winds which blew the dust overnight to Sydney and regions west of the capital. Watch an iReport from Manly, Sydney

During the day, the dust blanket moved north onto the Queensland capital of Brisbane.

The bureau of meterology's senior forecaster Tony Auden told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the haze was likely to continue moving north.

"It should make its way up into the Sunshine Coast and into those Capricornia and central coast areas soon," he said. "For the south-east expect it to probably linger for the rest of today and hopefully settle out of the air overnight."