Flood warnings in place after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle
Updated ,first published
Former Tropical Cyclone Narelle left a trail of devastation for Exmouth locals, but for those living in Carnarvon, the storm’s effects are just beginning.
The system dumped more than 350mm of rain on areas such as Exmouth and Carnarvon, and emergency services issued a flood watch and act warning along several major rivers in the area.
Communities living along the Gascoyne River, particularly those living in the lower reaches of Carnarvon “where access may become unsafe”, are being urged to leave the area.
“People east of the Boundary Road are likely to be affected by rising floodwaters and be submerged. Prepare to leave now,” the Emergency WA website says.
The peak of the flood is expected to occur at the Nine Mile Bridge on Monday afternoon.
The Department for Communities has set up an evacuation center at Carnarvon PCYC in preparation for flooding overnight into Monday morning.
However, no significant rainfall is expected in the Gascoyne River catchment over the next few days.
There is also a potential threat to lives and homes due to dangerous and widespread flooding along the Lyndon-Minilya River.
“Water will flow rapidly and levels will rise rapidly,” the emergency website says.
A flood warning warning has been issued for residents in the Wooramel River catchment, but there is no immediate threat to the community.
The warnings came after a couple became stranded on the Great Northern Motorway by ignoring orders from authorities and driving through road closures.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the incident “highlights the importance of not driving through floodwater.”
“You never know what’s out there in terms of depth and road condition,” he said.
He said the volume of water across the Northwest Cape and south to Carnarvon was significant.
“We really want people to be patient with the roads. It’s going to take a long time for the water to dissipate. Some of these roads are significantly under water,” Klemm said.
A number of roads, including the Great Northern Highway, North West Coastal Highway and Indian Ocean Drive, remained closed due to flooding on Sunday afternoon and access points to Exmouth were cut off.
Although the airport remains largely closed, part of the runway has been approved for smaller private planes to land.
WA Premier Roger Cook will fly into the city to assess the wreckage first-hand and meet with affected locals on Monday.
“One of the great things when you see these scenarios play out is everyone coming together and helping each other,” Cook said at a news conference Monday.
Assistance payments of between 1000 and 4000 dollars will be made to those in need to provide shelter, basic food purchases or emergency transportation.
Four structures in Exmouth were reported destroyed on Sunday; seven with heavy damage, 12 with moderate damage and eight with light damage; these numbers have likely increased in the last 24 hours.
Exmouth Game Fishing Club posted on Facebook on Monday morning showing “extensive damage” to their clubhouse.
“The clubhouse was originally designed to be shaped like a boat. Tropical Cyclone Narelle tested it… and failed miserably,” they joked on Facebook.
“Our clubhouse suffered major damage… Almost everything inside was turned into a terrible mess.”
Sea Harvest Australia also reported significant damage to its Exmouth facilities and damage to its vessels.
Seafood supplies from WA’s north are expected to be impacted ahead of Easter as businesses face significant revenue losses during one of their busiest periods of the year.
Local tourism operators are also expected to take a hit.
WA Station Stays has urged people to consider rebooking their trips rather than canceling following significant damage to properties including Bullara Station and Warroora Station.
Banana plantations and other local growers further south of Carnarvon were affected by the cyclone.
Cook also urged people not to cancel holiday plans.
“Call your tourism operator, hotel, accommodation provider and see how they feel,” he said.
“If you have plans and they can go ahead, please take this opportunity and spend your tourism revenues on regional WA.”
Sweeter Banana said the start of 2026 was challenging, including a crop-damaging heat wave and two hurricanes.
“Bananas take up to 18 months to grow. This means that for many growers this is not just a short-term setback, but a loss of income for more than a year, especially for those who have no other crops to draw on,” they wrote.
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Holly Thompson is a journalist at WAtoday specializing in education and the environment.Connect with: X or email.
