Flood victims return home, but warned repairs could take months or years

Some residents in Western Australia’s north have been allowed back home, but have been warned critical infrastructure repairs could take years.

As flood waters continue to recede, some central Kimberley residents have been allowed to return to their homes.

More than 200 people have been displaced in the region over the last week as a one-in-a-hundred year flood event ravages communities along the Fitzroy River.

They’ve been staying in the relatively safer towns of Broome and Derby, in evacuation centres and other temporary accommodation.

But on Wednesday, the first few residents started heading back.

Some residents upstream from Fitzroy Crossing have been allowed to return home.

Among them were community members from Pandanus Park and other upriver locations from Fitzroy Crossing, where people will have to wait a bit longer.

Fitzroy Crossing was one of the hardest-hit communities along the Fitzroy River, and while flood waters there are slowly going down, it’s still too dangerous for people to be allowed to return.

WA Housing Minister John Carey was in the region on Wednesday, speaking on the enormous logistical task of rebuilding damaged properties.

“It’s far more difficult to get tradies here in the first place, but that doesn't waver our commitment, or the work that we have to do now,” he said.

Meanwhile, rapid damage assessment crews remain in Fitzroy Crossing, going over damaged property and preparing to carry out a thorough assessment of the heavily damaged Fitzroy Crossing Bridge.

Damage to the Fitzroy Crossing bridge could take years to repair.

WA Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said preliminary assessments show that damage will take a significant amount of time to repair.

“That will give us some indication of how many months, or even years, it will take to build that bridge back up again,” said Mr Dawson.

“It's a case of treading carefully if it’s significant work that needs to take place, that work will take place after the wet season.”

Weather predictions from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services indicate no significant rainfall in coming weeks, however, there are still another two months of the wet season to go.