Northern Territory communities are grappling with one of the region’s most severe flooding events in decades, with emergency services racing to evacuate residents as rivers swell and dangerous conditions persist.
Authorities have also issued stark warnings to stay out of floodwaters, with crocodiles reported ‘absolutely everywhere’ and fast-moving rivers creating deadly conditions for anyone nearby.
About 1000 Territorians are currently sheltering in emergency centres across the region, with about 120 calls for help received in the past 24 hours.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro confirmed emergency declarations remain in place for the Katherine, Beswick and Daly River regions, although the alert in Beswick has been downgraded to a watch and act level.
“Yesterday we reported that we had a massive evacuation effort under way. We were successful in being able to evacuate 220 people yesterday, and I can confirm now that since then we have been able to get everyone out of Daly River, which is excellent news,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
Rivers at major flood levels
The Katherine River peaked at 19.2 metres overnight, submerging homes and businesses, and inundating the Katherine Bridge deck.
At least 90 homes lost power, and Katherine Hospital was evacuated over the weekend.
The river has begun to recede but remains above the major flood level of 17.5 metres, marking the town’s worst flooding since 1998.
The Daly River is also under significant threat. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jude Scott said daily readings reached 14.4 metres overnight and are expected to continue rising towards 15 metres.
“The Daly River is a huge river holding enormous volumes of water, so it will continue to slowly rise during the next week,” Mr Scott said, adding it could remain at major flood level into next weekend.
While monsoon showers are shifting towards the northwest coast, Mr Scott warned that isolated rainfall totals could still exceed 100mm, keeping river levels high even without further major rises.
Communities evacuated
Many smaller communities have faced rapid evacuations. In Palumpa, about 200 residents were flown after floodwaters cut off lower-lying homes, with 11 people rescued by helicopter overnight.
Daly River residents are now sheltering in Darwin’s Foskey Pavilion for the second time this year, after returning home only two weeks ago from the previous flood.
NT incident controller Commander Shaun Gill described the operations as “incredibly difficult,” with multiple moving parts.
“Helping evacuate those remaining Territorians is the highest priority,” Mr Gill said.
In Jilkminggan, 100 people evacuated due to flood risk, while about 60 others self-evacuated with police assistance to nearby Mataranka.
Moderate flooding also hit Beswick, though most homes there remain safe on higher ground.
Croc warning
Authorities continue to warn of dangerous conditions, particularly fast-flowing rivers and crocodiles.
“There are crocs absolutely everywhere … Please don’t go in the water,” Mr Gill said.
“The message is quite clear. Don’t swim in the water for two reasons. It’s because it’s a fast flowing river, and also this is when crocs are most active.”
Disaster relief for Katherine residents
Residents in Katherine will be eligible for immediate disaster assistance payments, with support including $611 per adult and $309 per child, capped at $1537 per family.
A re-establishment assistance fund of up to $8847 will also be available for households needing to replace furniture, white goods, bedding, and other items damaged by floodwaters.
“It’s a really difficult, stressful and heartbreaking time for that community,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
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