Disaster assistance has been made available to help communities recover from the damage caused by a tropical low that recently made its way down the Western Australia coast.
The Shires of Carnarvon, Upper Gascoyne and Derby-West Kimberley will be eligible to receive financial assistance through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Federal Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said the system produced strong winds and resulted in significant rainfall.
"The Bureau of Meteorology reported that Carnarvon received more rain in 24 hours than it received for all of 2020, which has led to significant damage, in particular to the road network," Mr Littleproud said.
He said the funding would cover the costs associated with the operational response and repairing damaged essential public assets.
"The Australian Government will continue to work alongside the Western Australian Government and local communities to ensure that they have all the support they need during this difficult time," Mr Littleproud said.
Western Australian Emergency Services Minister Francis Logan said this tropical low has caused the most significant flooding the Shire of Carnarvon has witnessed in over a decade.
"Ongoing flooding means it could take weeks to assess the full extent of the damage, particularly to our extensive road networks, which is why this immediate support is so important," Mr Logan said.
"The North West Coastal Highway is currently closed north of Carnarvon due to flooding, and I thank the community for their patience while we wait for flood waters to recede so urgent repairs can be undertaken.
"The Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments will continue to monitor the impacts of this event and are ready to extend disaster assistance to those communities in need."
Information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government's Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.au
