Kimberley floods: Noonkanbah residents return home after ‘difficult’ weeks away from home

Noonkanbah residents who were evacuated to Broome during the peak of the Kimberley flood event have expressed relief after jumping on an army helicopter and returning to their community on January 25. With water levels which previously threatened to engulf their entire community now receding, Noonkanbah residents were given the green light to return home. But with the community still inaccessible by road, an army Chinook helicopter was required to airlift the 22 residents back to Noonkanbah. “The Chinook is an amazing aircraft. It can operate in very challenging environments and with the road cut off it’s a great option to take these people home,” Aircrewman Technician Cpl Edward Deren said. “It’s rewarding to be part of something that helps local communities when they need it most. The smiles as they saw their homes from the aircraft windows were fantastic.” Noonkanbah resident of 23 years Ashley Mendesley said he was happy to be returning to his community. “It was real tough being away from home,” he said. “We had to live here in Broome for three weeks and look for a home to stay in and its been a disaster so were happy to go back today.” The emotion was also felt by community leader Johnathan Cox who expressed his relief as he boarded the aircraft to return home. “It’s been a difficult time for our people being so far away from home,” he said. “This flight means we can once again get on with our lives and get the community up and running.”