Be ready for wet season, residents told

The number of bushfires across the Kimberley rocketed by more than 150 this season, with 382 of them burning through the region compared with 218 last year.

Figures released by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services reflect a good wet season and consistent heavy rains, which sparked abundant vegetation growth.

DFES Kimberley Superintendent Grant Pipe said now was the time for North West residents to give volunteers the gift of preparedness this festive wet season.

Supt Pipe said volunteers had spent the past few months battling a demanding bushfire season, with little reprieve for them before the full force of the wet season hit.

“Our volunteers have done a magnificent job fighting hundreds of fires across the north of our State in recent months,” Supt Pipe said. “Their efforts at Leopold Downs, Kununurra and Mueller Ranges, to name just a few of the blazes this past bushfire season, are testament to their tenacity and commitment to helping the community.”

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Meteorology’s El Nino southern oscillation outlook was officially raised to La Nina last month, meaning warmer water temperatures north of Australia would increase the chance of a cyclone developing.

Cyclone Hilda hit Broome just days after the BoM announced the new weather pattern.

Supt Pipe urged the community to prepare for inclement weather associated with the wet season by trimming trees and securing loose items that could become projectiles in strong winds.

For more information about how you can prepare your family and home for the wet season, visit emergency.wa.gov.au/prepare.