Australia Weather News
Two people have had to be rescued after their vehicle became stuck in floodwater. ()
Two teachers have been rescued after they were swept away by floodwaters and stranded for hours in Western Australia's remote Pilbara.
Police said the 56-year-old man and 50-year-old woman were trying to cross a river outside Jigalong, more than 1,300 kilometres north-east of Perth, when their four-wheel drive was swamped by rising water.
Officers reached them downstream about an hour later, but the rapids had grown too dangerous to enter, with the pair having to climb onto the roof of their vehicle.
Ray Martin, the 73-year-old manager of Jigalong Remote Pool, was one of the first people at the scene.
He said police enlisted the help of a Newman-based helicopter company already ferrying maintenance crews to the community.
"We managed to get choppered across the creek … and then tried to actually throw both of them a line across," Mr Martin said.
After it became clear the water was moving too quickly for his friends to swim to safety, Mr Martin tossed the pair life jackets from the local pool.
"Neither of them were very good swimmers," he said.
Mr Martin coached the pair through a contingency plan in case they were washed away before another, larger helicopter could arrive.
"My philosophy has always been that if there's anybody in trouble, the first thing you do is you drop everything and you go and try and help," he said.
"I've been in surf-lifesaving for 60-odd years, it's just what we do."
Nearly three-and-a-half hours after the vehicle was submerged, a second helicopter equipped with a winch rescued the two teachers.
They were taken to the local medical clinic for assessment.
Both were uninjured and departed the community the following day by helicopter for the school holidays.
"Oh my word," Mr Martin said.
"It was a big relief."
Jigalong Police thanked members of the community for their help, and for providing life jackets and a drone during the rescue.
Warning for drivers
The incident follows days of heavy rain and flash flooding in the Pilbara and Gascoyne.
Mr Martin said Jigalong remained cut off by periodic surges of nearby creeks and rivers.
"The plane that normally brings the doctor in couldn't land either, so the runway was a little bit suspect," he said.
Kimberley DFES superintendent Leon Gardiner urged drivers to plan ahead when travelling in flooded areas, and wait until conditions improved if possible.
"We had an incident up around Kununurra a couple of weeks ago where we had a rapid rise due to a thunderstorm rainfall event in a creek, and a vehicle and a caravan were washed off a floodway," he said.
"Often where we see most of our deaths and injuries during the wet season is as a result of people trying to cross flooded roads or floodways and creek crossings."
A flood warning remains in place for much of the De Grey River catchment in the Pilbara, including parts of the Oakover, Nullagine and Coongan rivers.
"What that means is that any heavy downfall will lead to sudden river rises and there could be flash flooding through parts of the Pilbara and also the Gascoyne in the next 24 hours," Bureau of Meteorolgy forecaster Angeline Prasad told Michelle Stanley on ABC Radio WA.
"Secondary roads are most likely to be impacted by the heavy downfalls."
Heavy falls in southern parts of the Pilbara and northern parts of the Gascoyne, are expected to continue over the next 24 hours.
ABC