Kalbarri flooding: Caravan parks evacuated, businesses close after massive rainfall floods Mid West town

Roads turned into rivers and skate parks into lakes as the Mid West tourism town of Kalbarri was flooded after a deluge of rain on Wednesday. Up to 120mm of rain was recorded in Kalbarri, according to the local SES, with the wild conditions forcing the closure of businesses and the evacuation of at least one caravan park. Sites usually full of tourists and tents were covered by knee-high water. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Kalbarri recorded 125mm of rain in the 48-hour period to 9am on Thursday. Kalbarri SES manager Steve Cable said they received nine callouts on Wednesday, with requests for help ranging from water rushing through roofs to flooding. He said it was an unusual weather event for the town and, by far, the most rain he had seen come down in Kalbarri, where he has lived and worked for 18 years. “There was water everywhere. Water was running down roads like a river. Even lakes in the sand bush were flooded,” he said. “The town was completely saturated, inundated with water.” Mr Cable said campers staying at the Kalbarri Tudor Holiday Park on Porter Street were evacuated. “Yesterday afternoon, the oval was flooded. The Tudor caravan park was underwater; people camped there were about a foot underwater; they all had to pack up and leave,” he said. “Near the skatepark is a low end of town and it was just a lake. The water was flooding through town; it was quite incredible. “Some of the houses had flooding at ground level, and while we were doing all that, there was torrential rain, so it was very interesting, to say the least.” Mr Cable encouraged the community to plan and maintain their properties in preparation for unusual weather events. “The biggest problem we found was people not clearing out their gutters,” he said. “Help yourself with the basics by ensuring your gutters are clean. If you know you’re in a low area, identify the repercussions when you experience rain. Prepare sandbags so that when an event like this happens, you can protect your house. “Do some planning because water does some damage, and it can cost you money.” Visitor Shon Vigus posted a photo on social media showing the extent of the flooding. “Camping got slightly cut short on account of the mini-flood. This view is usually full of tents, but it was knee-high water,” she posted. “Enjoyed the sunny days in Kalbarri, won’t forget today in a hurry.” Another visitor, Dan Shalders, posted: “Go to Kalbarri, they said. It never rains, they said. All caravan parks flooded, and the streets flooded.” Edi Brandli wrote: “Apparently, the lack of rain for the last two years in this part of the world is furiously catching up, say the locals. I guess some are happy, and others are not so happy. GREATER GERALDTON ROAD CLOSURES Heavy rains have forced the closure of all unsealed roads in the City of Greater Geraldton, including the Mullewa district. These roads are closed to all traffic, except local residents, until further notice. Local residents are advised to use 4WD vehicle if possible, exercise caution and drive to the conditions. For all the latest updates on road closures go to the Road Conditions Report https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/road-condition-report.aspx