Hundreds airlifted as 'once in a century ' flood batters Australia

An official overseeing relief efforts said on Sunday that military helicopters airlifted hundreds of people from communities cut off by "once in a century" floods in Australia's northwest, noting that water covered some areas "as far as the eye could see."

Last week's severe weather system Ellie, a former cyclone that produced heavy rain, set off the crisis in the Kimberley, a sparsely populated region in Western Australia state roughly the size of California.

Speaking to reporters in Perth, Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said, "The water is everywhere."

"People in the Kimberley are experiencing a one-in-100-year flood event, the worst flooding Western Australia has had in its history."

In some parts, he said flood waters stretched for 50 kilometres with inundation "as far as the eye can see".

The emergency follows two years of persistent floods in Australia's east brought on by a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon.

Since last year, the La Nina system, which is frequently associated with increased rainfall, has created four significant flood emergencies in several eastern regions.

Fitzroy Crossing, a village of around 1,300 people, has been among the worst affected. Due to flooded roadways, supplies had to be airlifted in.

233 people have already been evacuated due to flooding across the Kimberley, where almost 50% of the population is Aboriginal, according to authorities.

On Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology reported that rain had decreased as the storm moved eastward towards the Northern Territory, but it also issued a warning that "record-breaking major flooding" was still occurring in the Kimberley.

"Many roads are impassable and many communities are now isolated," the forecaster said on its website.

According to a bureau spokesperson, the Fitzroy River broke its 2002 record of 13.95 metres on Wednesday by reaching 15.81 metres (52 feet) at Fitzroy Crossing.

Residents of other small villages, including the resort town of Broome, located around 1,240 miles (2,000 km) north of Perth, have been cautioned by state emergency services about rising water in the area.

Authorities anticipated that the recovery effort would take months, notwithstanding the difficulty in determining the full extent of the flood damage.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the flooding "devastating" and promised help from the federal government.

Authorities stated on Saturday that Australian Defence Force (ADF) aircraft were being employed to aid flood-affected areas and that Chinook helicopters were on their way to assist with resident relocation.

According to a defence spokesperson, five ADF helicopters will begin operations in the Kimberley by Thursday.