Disaster recovery assistance made available to Ashburton region for February’s severe thunderstorms and floods

Communities in the Shire of Ashburton will be able to receive disaster recovery assistance after the region suffered severe thunderstorms and flooding in February.

The assistance was announced on April 28 and will be provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to provide support for the local government, individuals and families impacted.

The flooding was caused by a trough which covered the central parts of the Pilbara and bought more than 70mm of rain to Tom Price on February 7.

The rain caused damage to scores of houses, with the local SES branch receiving seven call-outs, and an evacuation centre set up at Clem Thompson Oval.

A flood warning was also announced on February 8 for Newman and Marble Bar after the De Grey River Catchment reported 20-40mm of rain in 24 hours with isolated totals up to 104mm recorded.

A multi-agency response to the disaster saw multiple roads closed, forcing people to travel via Paraburdoo or Newman to access Tom Price.

Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Minister Bridget McKenzie said this assistance would provide the essential support needed by affected communities to clean up and get back to normal as quickly as possible.

“We know how important it is to provide early support for local councils to clean up, make communities safe again, and focus on road repairs, particularly in more remote areas. These roads are absolutely essential to community life,” she said.

Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the storm damaged critical public road assets.