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.
