Statement – Disaster assistance following WA flooding

Disaster assistance has been made available to help communities in the Mid-West, Gascoyne and Wheatbelt regions recover from damage caused by severe flooding in early March.

Assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said the financial assistance would help the local governments of Dandaragan, Greater Geraldton, Menzies, Mt Marshall, Northam and Victoria Plains with clean-up operations from fallen trees on roads and restore damaged road infrastructure.

“The severe weather system in early March caused significant damage and distress for these communities,” Minister Littleproud said.

“This financial leg up will greatly assist with their recovery efforts, particularly the repairs to their expansive and important road networks.

“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.”

Western Australian Minister for Emergency Services Reece Whitby said the flooding experienced was at a level not seen in the region for almost 10 years.

“Some areas received more than 80 millimetres of rain in less than 30 minutes,” Minister Whitby said.

“This resulted in severe flash flooding, turning streets into rivers and causing widespread damage.

“This crucial financial assistance will help these communities rebuild infrastructure and minimise the impact on the local economy.

“We will work with the Federal Government to continually monitor the impacts of these storms and ascertain whether disaster assistance needs to be extended to other communities.”

Information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at https://www.disasterassist.gov.au

/Public Release. View in full here.