Disaster recovery
assistance is now available to communities in Western Australia's Goldfields,
Southern Interior and Eucla areas affected by heavy rainfall and flash flooding
last month.
From 7 to 14 March, a near-stationary trough combined with an extreme tropics weather system
producing a band of
heavy rainfall which caused flash flooding across eight local governments, disrupting
communities and industry, damaging essential public assets, and causing road and
rail closures across the impacted region.
Recovery assistance
is being provided by the Albanese and Cook Governments through the jointly
funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA),
ensuring the Shires of Coolgardie, Dundas, Laverton, Leonora, Menzies, Ngaanyatjarraku, Wiluna and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are supported in their recovery
journey.
Federal
Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said the jointly funded disaster
assistance would help communities and individuals affected by the extreme
weather to get back on their feet.
"Shires will be provided with support
to undertake emergency recovery and repair works to bring essential public
assets like bridges and roads back to usable condition," Minister Watt said.
"This
funding is an investment in the communities and the local economy, to help
residents to recover faster.
"The Albanese
Government is committed to working with the Cook Government to support Western Australians
through challenging times."
Western Australian Emergency Services Minister the Hon Stephen Dawson
MLC commended all the agencies, local governments and community members who
were involved in the response for their professionalism and tireless work in
keeping impacted communities safe and restoring important transport networks.
"I would like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of all those
involved in the multi-agency response to the wide-spread flooding in March," he
said.
"From the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, who mobilised an Incident
Management Team to focus on community evacuation and resupply, while coordinating
the successful location and rescue of seven missing community members, to the personnel
from Main Roads WA and the WA Police Force who worked with the shires to manage
road closures and re-openings across the impacted regions - the response was
exceptional and professional.
"This joint Commonwealth-State
funding will help the flood-impacted shires - some who experienced their annual
rainfall in just a few days - with the costs of clean-up and repairs to damaged
local roads and other essential public assets.
"This was a significant event that not only impacted road networks vital
to these regional communities and the local economy but also road and rail
networks of state and national importance.
"By activating the
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements we can restore these important road and
rail networks and help regional communities get back on their feet as quickly
as possible."
Information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government's
Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.au.
