Kimberley floods: Broome clean up begins as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie moves toward Northern Territory border

As storm clouds clear over Broome, residents have begun to assess the damage and clean up after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie dumped almost 600 millimetres of rain on the tourist town over seven days. Some 570.8mm was recorded at Broome Airport, second only to Country Downs station on the Dampier Peninsula, which recorded 596.4mm over the same period. And while Broome escaped major flooding seen in the Fitzroy Valley - where the Fitzroy River peaked at 15.81m on Wednesday afternoon - there was visible damage from the weather around town, including a number of large trees being uprooted and significant erosion along roads. Outside of Broome, it may take weeks to assess the damage to major roadways, with Main Roads touting the potential for a low-level crossing to be installed across the Fitzroy River to reconnect the East and West Kimberley. Main Roads structural engineers from Perth will be in Fitzroy Crossing early next week when it’s expected that flood waters will have sufficiently dropped to enable damage assessment. A Main Roads spokesperson said until the damage could be properly assessed, a timeframe on how long repairs would take could not be provided. Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson flew into Broome at 11.30am on Friday and was expected to travel to Fitzroy Crossing to meet with community members. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Minister Dawson said the “unprecedented” flooding event was now the worst in WA’s history. Power was restored to Fitzroy Crossing Thursday afternoon after being cut off on Wednesday night, leaving the communities of Gogo, Bayulu, Karnparmi, Gillarong, Joy Springs and Yurabi Road without power. Horizon Power said a large tree fell on power lines in town and had to be removed before power was turned back on. For fallen trees on private land that present a property or safety risk, residents should call the State Emergency Service on 13 2500.