Emergency Services Minister Reece Whitby will today make his fourth visit to the Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seroja disaster area, visiting remote inland farming communities as recovery efforts continue.
The Minister joined Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM and State Recovery Controller Melissa Pexton to visit agricultural properties around Perenjori hit hard by the cyclone.
Clean-up operations are underway across 13 affected local government areas, with damage recorded from the Shire of Northampton east through to the Shire of Merredin.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has so far identified 1,050 buildings across the region with some degree of damage and 49 destroyed.
More than 400 emergency services and support personnel including volunteers from across Western Australia, as well as from New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are on the ground across the region helping with the recovery efforts.
Local government areas Carnamah, Chapman Valley, Coorow, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Greater Geraldton, Mingenew, Morawa, Mount Marshall, Northampton, Perenjori, Shark Bay and Three Springs have all been made eligible to receive financial assistance through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
People wanting to assist those impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seroja can donate through the Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund at https://appealswa.org.au
As stated by Emergency Services Minister Reece Whitby:
"Each and every community should know the McGowan Government, emergency services personnel and volunteers are right behind them as we plot the road to recovery from this devastating event.
"From the larger towns that were hit, right out to remote farming properties, we are committed to working hard on behalf of all Western Australians to make these areas safe and begin the process of returning a degree of normality to all those impacted.
"We have a long road ahead in terms of recovery, but already we have agreed on vital Federal-State disaster funding, restored many services and provided immediate crisis support to those hit hard by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seroja.
"The clean-up is continuing and we are preparing for the detailed work of understanding what exactly each area needs in terms of the recovery and rebuild.
"The preferences of each community is key to understanding how we plot the path to recovery so we will continue to visit the many towns, properties and farms over the huge disaster area in coming weeks and months."
