Western Australia’s worst flooding on record has wreaked havoc on the Kimberley region, with authorities relying on unconventional measures to supply essential goods to affected communities. Emergency evacuations continued on Thursday as the Fitzroy River’s flood peak bore down on the small outstation of Noonkanbah, with helicopters plucking anxious residents from the sodden terrain. The Australian Defence Force has deployed three planes to aid in the airlift, while authorities have relaxed road rules to allow longer road trains to transport supplies through eastern parts of Western Australia and South Australia.
The situation is catastrophic, with about 60,000 cubic meters of water per second flowing down the swollen Fitzroy River, creating a 50km-wide inland sea as it spreads across the flood plain. The river has reached a record 15.81 meters upstream at Fitzroy Crossing, home to around 1,200 people, with dozens of residents from surrounding communities already evacuated. Major flooding is expected to hit Noonkanbah from Friday into Saturday, and multiple rescue missions have been conducted to rescue people from floodwaters, with 47 requests for assistance logged so far.
Road access to the town of Derby has been severed after flooding forced authorities to close a 700km section of the Great Northern Highway between Broome and Halls Creek, isolating the town of around 3,000 people. The authorities also anticipate that the freight route south of Broome is impassable at low-lying Roebuck Plains, with it potentially taking many weeks for the area to drain.
Floodwaters Envelop the Kimberley, Cut Off Communities.To mitigate the crisis, authorities have temporarily relaxed the rules governing long road trains in Western Australia and South Australia, allowing normally banned 53.5-meter-long road trains to travel through certain parts of the states until late February. This move aims to ensure food and essential supplies reach Western Australia’s north and the Northern Territory.
Meanwhile, Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie continues to dump heavy rain with strong winds on the Kimberley region, where falls of up to 400mm have been recorded in and around Broome over a 48-hour period. The slow-moving weather system has moved south-east and is expected to move further inland towards the Northern Territory on Friday afternoon, potentially bringing up to 150mm of rain to parts of Western Australia’s north-east, increasing the risk of flash flooding. As the crisis unfolds, authorities remain cautious, urging residents to stay informed and take necessary precautions as the floodwaters continue to rise.