WEB DESK
Military helicopters airlifted hundreds of people from communities cut off by what is being dubbed as “once in a century” floods in Australia’s northwest.
The crisis in the Kimberley – a sparsely populated area in Western Australia, was sparked last week by severe weather system Ellie, a former tropical cyclone that brought heavy rain. Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson told reporters in Perth that water is everywhere. He said, People in the Kimberley are experiencing a one-in-100-year flood event, the worst flooding Western Australia has had in its history. In some parts, he said flood waters stretched for 50 kilometers with inundation as far as the eye can see.
The emergency comes after frequent flooding in Australia’s east over the last two years due to a multi-year La Nina weather event, which is typically associated with increased rainfall. State emergency authorities have warned residents in other small communities of rising water in the region, which includes the resort town of Broome, about 2,000 kilometers north of Perth. While the extent of flood damage was difficult to assess, authorities expected the recovery effort to take months.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the flooding as “devastating” and pledged federal assistance.