Many communities in Western Australia were cut off by flooding

Many communities in the north-west of Australia have been cut off due to the of floods which exceeded all previous ones, according to the country’s meteorological service.

The state of emergency in the Kimberley – a region in the Western state Australia about the size of California – spawned the powerful weather system Ellie, an ex-tropical cyclone that brought heavy rainfall.

The town of Fitzroy Crossing, a community of about 1,300 people, was one of the hardest hit, with supplies arriving by airlift as roads flooded.

Recent years have seen frequent flooding in eastern Australia due to the La Nina weather phenomenon.

Some eastern areas have been hit four times by floods since 2022 caused by La Nina, usually associated with increased rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology said today that the intensity of the rain had eased as the storm moved east into the Northern Territory, but warned that record flooding continued in the Kimberley.

“Many roads are impassable and many communities are now sealed off”the weather service said on its website.

The Fitzroy River reached 15.81 meters at Fitzroy Crossing on Wednesday, January 4, breaking the previous record of 13.95 meters set in 2002, a spokesman said.

State emergency authorities warned residents in other small communities of flooding in the area, which includes the seaside resort of Broome, about 2,000 kilometers north of the state capital Perth.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the floods “catastrophic” yesterday, Saturday, and pledged federal aid.

Australian Defense Force (ADF) aircraft are assisting flood-hit communities and Chinook helicopters are on their way to help relocate residents, authorities said yesterday.