Kimberley communities left reeling from the devastating New Year's flood are entering a new phase of the recovery process.
Defence forces, called in to help after the unprecedented event, have left the region.
At the peak of the response, centred on the Fitzroy Crossing area, almost 300 military personnel, with helicopters and aircraft, worked to relocate people from flood zones, deliver food and supplies, and assess and clean out damaged properties.
At one stage the tiny airport at Fitzroy Crossing was described as "being busier than Heathrow".
More than 300 people have returned to their remote communities along the Fitzroy River after being evacuated but a further 300 remain displaced.
More than 40 homes were destroyed and businesses were disrupted across the entire Kimberley region.
There are now just two ADF personnel remaining, working with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in Broome.
Insurance and support roadblocks
As the immediate emergency ends and the skies fall quiet without Chinooks and Spartan aircraft flying overhead, some residents who lost everything have been dealt an additional blow by being rejected for Disaster Relief Payments from the Commonwealth government.
Crystal Simpson lives at Camballin, a small town south-east of Derby close to the Fitzroy River.
Her home has been condemned and only a few personal items were saved from the flood.
She and her son have been rejected for the $1,000 and $400 Disaster Recovery Payments administered by Services Australia.
"I sent photos and they said it wasn't enough evidence and did I have any documents to state I had been affected by the floods, which I don't because they don't issue you with a letter saying so sorry you've been affected by the floods," Ms Simpson said.
"It makes me feel pretty angry — especially when you hear a lot of other people who weren't as severely affected have received it.
"I don't know what else I can do unless they want to come out and look at my house."
Ms Simpson is living in a neighbour's spare bedroom while she waits on an insurance payout that will determine if she will be able to rebuild after demolition and if she will be eligible for insurance again.
Tara Murphy, who bought her dream weekender in Camballin in 2021, also missed out on the $1,000 relief payment.
"Structurally we're OK, but the kitchen is stuffed and we'll have to pull all of that out," she said.
"All the furniture, bedding, fridges, freezer — all destroyed."
Ms Murphy is not insured.
"We are not insured because our Broome house insurance went through the roof last year, and we've been told by our insurance company we probably wouldn't be insured for rising floodwaters anyway," she said.
Ms Murphy said it had been a highly stressful period and the $1,000 payment would have been a small help.
She and Ms Simpson said several other Camballin home owners were in similar situations.
Services Australia said in a statement the majority of people successfully claimed assistance after major damage to their principal residence.
Public donations have not been released to flood victims either.
The Lord Mayor's Distress Fund, a major disaster relief charity in WA, has almost $12 million in donations from big businesses and the public for Kimberley flood victims.
It remains closed for applications seven weeks after the disaster and there is growing concern of a repeat of the slow payments made to Cyclone Seroja victims.
In a statement, the Lord Mayor's office said there was no date for the fund to open and it was yet to confirm eligibility criteria for funding.
Trauma to remain
"People are more relaxed now that things are being done with the support of DFES, the army, and air force," senior Bunuba woman Mary Aitken said.
"Some of them [Fitzroy Crossing residents] still have trauma … they're still upset and frustrated.
"The river came from every direction and they had to rush — they didn't have time to pick up anything from their house."
Ms Aitken, who had water lapping underneath her house, now had relatives staying with her because their home was destroyed.
"We keep telling them that your house can't be fixed overnight, it's going to take 18 months to a year," she said.
"It'll be a long process for everyone."
