A northwestern Australian region has been hit by “one-in-100-year” floods which have forced military aircraft to evacuate residents from flood-ravaged communities.
The crisis in Western Australia’s Kimberley region was sparked last week by former tropical cyclone Ellie, which brought a year’s worth of rain to some areas in a matter of days.
Military aircraft helped airlift supplies and evacuated residents to safety in cut-off towns such as Fitzroy Crossing, home to around 1,000 people.
Authorities have described it as a “one-in-100-year” flood event, as the country’s prime minister pledged to repair homes and rebuild infrastructure as he toured remote communities affected by the floods.
Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said: “People in the Kimberley are experiencing a one-in-100-year flood event, the worst flooding Western Australia has had in its history.”
He added that “the water is everywhere” and in some parts, flood waters stretched for 31 miles (50km) with inundation “as far as the eye can see”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was too soon to estimate the full cost of rebuilding wrecked highways and bridges but that the final figure will be “very large”.
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The flooding follows a year of unseasonably wet weather that brought four major floods across parts of the country’s east.
The floods have wrecked highways and bridges, as authorities warned some evacuation centres did not have the facilities to cope with the number of displaced people.
Authorities said the Great Northern Highway, which connects the country’s vast north, is broken in several places, as the swollen Fitzroy River poured onto floodplains with waters spreading for miles from the riverbed in some places.
More than 280 people across the region have been evacuated or relocated, state authorities said on Sunday.
Geoff Haerewa, president of the Derby and West Kimberly Shire, told 6PR radio on Monday that the evacuation centre at Fitzroy Crossing did not have enough toilets or facilities to cope with up to 300 displaced people.
On Monday, Mr Albanese promised A$10,000 (£5,700) for home repairs and up to the same amount to replace household goods.
The Bureau of Meteorology said 2022 was the ninth-wettest year on record.
