SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Food, water on the way to WA flood victims

Authorities are preparing to drop food and water early on Monday to people stranded by the worst flooding in 50 years around the Western Australian town of Carnarvon.

carnarvon_flood_overturned_101220_B_aap_293339566

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Authorities are preparing to drop food and water early on Monday to people stranded by the worst flooding in 50 years around the Western Australian town of Carnarvon.

Carnarvon, about 900km north of Perth and at the mouth of the Gascoyne River, is gripped by its worst flood since 1960.

Residents were warned on Saturday to evacuate as heavy rain pounded the region overnight.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

An evacuation point was set up at the Carnarvon Civic Centre, where at least 80 people stayed overnight.

A Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) spokesman said the river was expected to peak early on Monday.

The river level had risen to 7.7 metres at Nine Mile Bridge by 9pm (WST) on Sunday and was expected to rise slowly ahead of the peak of 7.8 to 7.9 metres.

Two consignments of food and water were expected to leave Geraldton at first light on Monday, while emergency workers in Carnarvon would audit food and water needs for people isolated in the town and in outlying areas.

"We're expecting the levee banks to hold and that Carnarvon won't be flooded as such," the spokesman said.

On Sunday, 30 people stuck on rooftops at Gascoyne Junction, about 170km inland from Carnarvon, and six more at Meka station, were flown by helicopter to Carnarvon.

Most were housed overnight at the civic centre.

Isolated showers are expected in the Gascoyne region on Monday.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world