In December 2022, our Kimberley region experienced a one in a 100-year flood after Tropical Cyclone Ellie brought days of torrential rain and wind. The deluge caused the Fitzroy River to swell to record-high levels isolating several riverside communities. Our Broome and Derby Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation teams have felt the ongoing effects of the once-in-a-100-year flooding. Tamara O’Reilly, Acting Services Coordinator, has shared some updates with us.
The floods significantly impacted Derby, Fitzroy Crossing and surrounding communities. The flood waters were so extreme that they cut off these communities from the rest of Western Australia.
“We were cut off for weeks with a massive food shortage. Our food would have to be delivered by barge or aeroplane, which was at the mercy of weather conditions,” explains Tamara.
As the flooding worsened, hundreds of people were evacuated from remote communities to Broome and Derby. MercyCare’s Short Stay Accommodation became a haven for those impacted by ongoing flooding and torrential rain.
Tamara describes the extenuating circumstances the floods caused, “Our accommodation was at full capacity, which included 12 Dialysis patients who were evacuated from Fitzroy crossing on Wednesday 4 January as well as four guests who were evacuated from Darlgunaya Community which was severely destroyed in the floods.”
The relief was palpable when Great Northern Highway opened back up again. With the roads being flooded, the only access to West Kimberley was via aeroplane from Saturday, 7 January. Main roads worked as fast as possible in challenging conditions to reconnect the Great Northern Highway.
“When the road finally opened, it was a relief for many of us. It meant that many people could head across to Broome to collect their cars which had been parked up at the Broome airport for weeks, and trucks with much-needed supplies were finally about to get through.” Explains Tamara.
There is still much work to be done, and just under 2 months until the Wet season is over. The potential for more rain to delay or stop the repair of the infrastructure is still a concern for many. Main roads work through extreme conditions to maintain the highway in the interim. Still, a long road ahead and a few months off before the rebuild process commences.
