Scott Morrison has promised further support for those affected by Tropical Cyclone Seroja after witnessing first-hand the devastation inflicted on West Australian communities.
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The prime minister on Friday toured Kalbarri on the state's mid-west coast, visiting properties damaged by the storm and lending a hand with the clean-up.
About 875 buildings in the region have received some form of damage and 32 have been completely destroyed, including 23 homes.
There were emotional scenes as Mr Morrison spoke to those facing significant losses as a result of the cyclone, which hit late on Sunday as a category three storm with winds up to 170km/h..
Kalbarri Boat Hire owner Kat Deadman warmly embraced the prime minister after he stopped to talk to her and her nine-year-old son Lachlan.
Ms Deadman managed to salvage about a third of her 18 boats but said her business's shack had been uprooted.
"We got hit pretty badly," she said.
"The house was untouched, just all the fencing. We've got a hot shower and we've opened up the doors if anyone needs one."
A trail of battered fences, crumpled road signs and fallen trees still littered the streets despite the combined efforts of SES volunteers, Department of Fire and Emergency Services personnel and Australian Defence Force reservists.
The prime minister checked in on damaged landmarks such as the Rainbow Jungle outdoor cinema and helped the ADF volunteers to clear collapsed fence panels from another property.
Mr Morrison paid tribute to volunteers gathered at a barbecue lunch, some of whom had flown in from the eastern states to help out.
"Sadly I see too many of these disasters as prime minister," he said.
"There's going to be some tough weeks and tough months ahead for everybody. But the fact that you're here right now and providing that support ... (shows) people are not alone. They are not isolated."
Mr Morrison said he was incredibly impressed by the work local authorities had done to encourage people to leave before the storm hit.
"That clearly saved lives," he said.
"That quick thinking, that experience that was needed in that moment, the work that was done as a community to get people to safety was extraordinary.
"We are now in the position where the injuries here are minor, substantially, and there has certainly been no loss of life. And that is indeed a miracle."
The federal government has extended disaster recovery payments of $1000 per affected adult and $400 per child to a broader geographic area.
Mr Morrison said he and Premier Mark McGowan had been in contact and would work together to arrange further state and federal support.
Over at the Pelican Shire villas, managers Juanita Illingworth and Thierry Robez spoke of how business had been booming prior to the cyclone.
Many of the units battered by the storm are owned as investments by farmers whose own properties also sustained damage.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services chief Darren Klemm this week estimated the cost could be up to $200 million, vastly exceeding that of the Wooroloo bushfires which destroyed 86 homes near Perth in February.
Australian Associated Press
