FITZROY RESIDENTS WAITING TO SEE IF HOMES NEED TO BE DESTROYED

Street closed from flooded roads. Credit: Envato Elements

Two months since cyclone Ellie hit the Kimberley in North-Western Australia, hundreds of residents are still displaced from their homes.  

Federal Member for Durack Melissa Price says that hundreds of people are waiting to hear about the damage to their homes.

‘Housing is the biggest issue; there are still 83 houses in Fitzroy that are still requiring extra help,’’ she said.

‘‘People are currently waiting for their home to either be given the tick to say ‘yes it’s fit for purpose and you can go back there,’ or they’re waiting to hear whether their house needs to be destroyed.’’

On Thursday, the State Government announced funding for the installation of temporary accommodation that will enable residents to live on country while their homes are repaired or rebuilt.

While a total cost is yet to be finalized, the multimillion-dollar project will be financed jointly by Commonwealth and State Governments.

Ms. Price said that when permanent housing is rebuilt it should be more resilient to flood damage. 

“There’s a lot of discussion about [ensuring that] when they rebuild in Fitzroy they are not just recreating the problem,” she saidd.

A couple of hundred people have already gone back to their homes but many more are still waiting.

“The number of people who are currently in Derby who have been displaced is 48, so these are people from Fitzroy Valley, and there are 31 from Broome, so there has been something like 343 that have been repatriated and gone back to their primary residence,” Ms Price said.

“But there are still another 310 that are staying with friends and families and waiting for their home.”

The rebuilding of homes may take years, so Ms Price said government should make sure the temporary accommodation will be “fit for purpose.”