WATER levels were expected to reach 7.9 metres as rain continues to swamp the West Australian coastal town of Carnarvon during the biggest flood to hit the region since 1960.
Residents were alerted to the impending flood on Saturday and were warned to evacuate as heavy rain pounded the region overnight.
Yesterday, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority said the Gascoyne River had reached 7.7 metres and was expected to peak last night to about 7.9 metres. Shire president Dudley Maslen said it was the worst flood he had ever witnessed.
''Now that the sun has come up, it's not as scary as it was last night,'' he said. ''But it's still a record flood, much bigger than the 1960 flood that was 7.61 metres.
''This flood has been about 7.7 metres for some time … the hotel roof is only just peeking out of the water. People are sitting on their roofs … it's something you see in cartoons, not real life.''
