Australian army helicopters have evacuated several hundred people trapped in the “flood of the century” that has hit the north-west of the country, a rescue operations official said on Sunday.
The vast but sparsely populated Kimberley region is battered by former Tropical Cyclone Ellie accompanied by heavy rains.
“Water is everywhere,” Stephen Dawson, Western Australia’s Minister for Emergency Services, told reporters. In some places, the flooded land stretches for 50 kilometers, “as far as the eye can see.”
“The people of the Kimberley are facing a once-in-a-century flood, the worst in Western Australian history,” he added.
Australia has been the victim of frequent flooding in the last two years, but in its eastern part, due to the recurring La Niña weather phenomenon.
Helicopters to relocate residents
In the western Kimberley region, where half the population is of Aboriginal origin, 232 people have been evacuated so far, authorities said. Although the rain eased after the storm moved east and into the northern territories, the Met Office warned that “record flooding” continued there.
Officials say Chinook helicopters are en route to help relocate residents. Five more helicopters are expected to come to the rescue by Thursday.
Source: BFM TV
