Defence Force Called to Assist With Australian Flood Evacuation

A loadmaster from an Australian Army MRH90 Taipan helicopter waves to the crowd as it performs during the T150 Defence Force Air Show in Townsville, Australia, on Oct. 15, 2016. Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Defence personnel have been called in to help evacuate people isolated during once-in-a-century flooding hitting a remote town in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.

Homes have been inundated in Fitzroy Crossing—home to about 1,200 people—and the Great Northern Highway is cut in both directions as some residents are airlifted 400 kilometres to Broome by helicopter.