Kimberley Flooding: Minister Dawson warns residents ‘Derby will be an island’ as weather havoc persists

Derby residents are urged to prepare for rising flood waters, as Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson warned the town “will become an island”. Speaking at a press conference in Broome on Friday, Minister Dawson said while Fitzroy Crossing floods had started to subside, downstream locations including Willare and Derby would see rising waters into the weekend. It comes as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie moves southeast toward the Northern Territory border after dumping between 200mm and 600mm of rain across the Kimberley over seven days. “I want people to be under no illusion. There will be days of isolation probably for Broome and definitely for Derby,” Minister Dawson said. “Derby will become an island. “It’s not over yet, we are just at the start of it.” Although unlikely, concerns are held for the Willare Bridge, which connects Derby to Broome. Should it suffer the same fate as the Fitzroy Bridge, there would be no sealed road in or out of Derby. Minister Dawson confirmed Australian Defence Force planes had been cleared to land at Fitzroy Crossing on Friday. “The Fitzroy airstrip is being cleared, and will be able to receive some aircraft, which will help with resupply and relocation efforts,” he said. “All efforts are being made to restock our towns with food and essential supplies like medicine.” Trucks from family-owned Broome business Pearl Coast Distributors are among those heading to Derby to deliver much needed supplies before the road closes. Owner Lyn Sinclair said there was flowing water across most of the road to Derby. “The road is beginning to ripple and break up in many flood ways,” she said. “Minnie Bridge is full sadly with cattle flowing downstream.” She said the river at Willare Bridge was also fast flowing and full. Some 43 Fitzroy Crossing residents remain without power, with a Horizon Power spokesperson saying the company was doing everything it could to restore services as soon as possible. “We are working to restore power to impacted customers and areas as soon as we can - when it is safe to do so and we’re able to access the power infrastructure. Access to Fitzroy Crossing is currently limited until the water recedes,” the company declared. “The public is reminded to stay at least 10m away from overhead and underground power supplies during the current flooding. All overhead power lines and underground power supply should be considered live, and people, therefore, need to take extreme care. “This warning is also relevant for people using boats in the area,” the spokesperson said. Power faults can be reported to Horizon Power on 13 23 51.