Kimberley floods: Clean-up efforts begin in Broome as ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie moves towards the Northern Territory border
As storm clouds clear over Broome, residents have begun to assess the damage and clean up after ex-tropical cyclone Ellie dumped nearly 600mm of rain on the tourist town over seven days.
About 570.8 mm was recorded at Broome Airport, second only to Country Downs station on the Dampier Peninsula, which recorded 596.4 mm over the same period.
And while Broome escaped major flooding in the Fitzroy Valley – where the Fitzroy River peaked at 52 feet (15.81 m) on Wednesday afternoon – there was visible damage from the weather in the city, including a number of large trees that were uprooted and significant erosion along the streets.
Outside of Broome, it could take weeks to assess damage to major thoroughfares, with Main Roads touting the potential for installing a low-level crossing over the Fitzroy River to reconnect East and West Kimberley.
Main Roads civil engineers from Perth will be at Fitzroy Crossing early next week when flood waters are expected to have dropped sufficiently to allow for a damage assessment.
A spokesman for Main Roads said until the damage could be properly assessed, there was no timeframe for how long the repairs would take.
Emergency Services Secretary Stephen Dawson flew into Broome at 11.30am on Friday and was due to travel to Fitzroy Crossing to meet with community members.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Minister Dawson said the “unprecedented” flooding event was now the worst in WA history.
Power was restored to Fitzroy Crossing Thursday afternoon after being shut down on Wednesday evening, leaving the communities of Gogo, Bayulu, Karnparmi, Gillarong, Joy Springs and Yurabi Road without power.
According to Horizon Power, a large tree fell on power lines around the city and had to be removed before power was restored.
For fallen trees on private property that pose a property or safety risk, residents should call the state emergency services on 13 2500.
