A massive clean-up operation is underway after dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed in Western Australia‘s Kimberley once-in-100-year flood disaster.
Furious floodwaters have left homes and businesses a muddy mess and the more than century-old Crossing Inn at Fitzroy Crossing is no exception.
“It would have to be the heart of the town this place,” maitenance manager Allan Fafoutis said.
“It took me and my brother almost 12 months to get the place looking beautiful and now we have to start again.”
Fafoutis spent the past 30 years living in Fitzroy Crossing, his town now in need of recovery and a rebuild.
“We all come together and band as one especially in situations like these,” he said.
Local volunteers are working mammoth days to try and salvage whatever they can.
“Most of the people that we picked up they had very limited clothing or a blanket on them because there is no room on the boat for them to take anything else,” volunteer Richard Oman said.
“It was really about rescuing life rather than possessions at that stage.”
Full extent of damage becomes clear
But there are fears a worker shortage plaguing the nation may now further delay repairs.
“It is far more difficult to get tradies here in the first place but that doesn’t waiver out commitment,” acting housing minister John Carey said.
After the Fitzroy River burst its banks by a staggering 50km, the full extent of the damage and destruction is becoming clear.
Authorities will inspect 130 government homes for damage.
“The department of communities is working with Horizon Power and emergency services to do an assessment of each house,” Carey said.
“I clearly understand people want to get back to houses but the priority is safety and electrical safety.”
Difficulty delivering essential items
Getting supermarket supplies into Fitzroy Crossing has been aided by air drops while non-perishable goods are restocked at the town’s IGA.
“This is the only grocer in town so I knew how important it was to save the goods,” Oman said.
Read Related Also: Calls to mom, a broken toilet: Key takeaways from new Jeffrey Epstein jail documents
“Because I knew trucks would be blocked for weeks and weeks.”
Meanwhile in Broome, a barge carrying four road trains and 110,000kg of food arrived today.
This is expected to bolster supermarket supplies across the region.
Tourism sector already plagued by cancellations
The storm has hit the tourism sector hard with some caravan parks in the far northern town of Kununurra already experiencing cancellations ahead of the Easter holiday period.
Significant damage to the Fitzroy Bridge is cutting off visitor access, while some local roads are in desperate need of repair.
Ivanhoe Caravan Park’s Greg Thompson said the damage to the bridge “is going to have an impact on people”.
“It’s an extra 2000 kilometres on the trip, and fuel prices and time and all that stuff, it’s going to have an impact on people,” he told Today.
Premier Mark McGowan said the major bridge could take a long time to repair.
“I don’t want to give an estimate but I wouldn’t be surprised if getting the bridge back is in the years,” McGowan told Nine radio station 6PR on Tuesday.
Main Roads WA has suggested a temporary bridge while the replacement is being built.
Pub goes underwater in WA outback flood disaster
The Crossing Inn pub manager Wayne Bernaham said no one in the community expected the floods to be this bad.
“Our jaws are on the ground,” Bernaham said.
“No one contemplated the extent to which the water would rise.
“It was impacting every business we had.
“Everything around our property that could be broken has been broken.”
