Katherine River Eases, But Flooding Persists in Other Northern Territory Regions
The Katherine River has seen a welcome reprieve as major flooding subsides, with water levels now falling after narrowly missing the devastating marks of earlier this month. This marks a significant easing of the severe weather that plunged the Top End town into its worst inundation in nearly three decades, causing widespread power outages, disrupting water supplies, and displacing Territorians for weeks. The prolonged rainfall also battered remote communities and placed considerable strain on the Northern Territory’s health system.
The river’s peak on Thursday morning settled just below the 17.5-metre major flood level, a crucial 1.6 metres below the height that triggered the catastrophic flooding experienced earlier in the month. This near miss has been met with immense relief by locals.
Trent de With, a Katherine resident actively involved in supporting flood-affected households and businesses, described the outcome as “fantastic.”
“We’ve endured so much damage and loss from that previous amount of water, but we’ve genuinely dodged a massive bullet this time,” he stated. “I don’t think it can be overstated how dire the situation could have become if that ex-tropical cyclone had tracked just 100 to 150 kilometres further south.”
Mr. de With highlighted a crucial lesson learned from the recent events: the significant lag time for rainfall to reach Katherine. “Rain takes about three days to flow downstream into Katherine,” he explained. “This is a vital piece of information that residents should take on board for future weather emergencies. They can be better educated and understand that, when something like this occurs again, they can consult radar maps to see where rain is falling and form a reasonable expectation of what’s to come.”
Locals are now cautiously optimistic, with promising forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology offering hope that the worst is over.
Nauiyu and Daly River Remain Under Water
While Katherine breathes easier, the impact of the prolonged rainfall continues to be felt further downstream. According to the latest weather warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the peak flow from Katherine is now contributing to sustained major flooding along the Daly River at Nauiyu. Homes in this community remain submerged.
The BOM reported on Thursday morning that “prolonged major flooding is continuing along the Daly River at Daly River Police Station, where the river levels are expected to remain above the major flood level for the remainder of March.”
This is not the first time Nauiyu has faced such severe conditions this year. Residents have already been forced to evacuate twice, spending over a month sheltering in temporary accommodation further north. The forecast of additional showers and thunderstorms in the catchment over the coming days could further delay the return of residents to both Nauiyu and the nearby community of Palumpa.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, confirmed on Thursday morning that the federal and Northern Territory governments are collaborating closely to ensure all evacuees receive necessary support until it is safe for them to return to their homes.
Glimmers of Hope for Displaced Communities
There is some positive news for other communities that have been impacted by the severe weather. In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the Northern Territory government announced that some residents from displaced communities have begun returning home this week. This includes individuals from Murray Downs and nearly 200 evacuees from Numbulwar who were transported back by air.
Numbulwar had been evacuated the previous week following BOM predictions of “damaging winds, storm tide and heavy rainfall” associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle, making the remote community eligible for Immediate Relief Payments. Residents of flood-affected Ali Curung have already received their initial instalment of this funding, with the remainder to be disbursed upon their return home.
Closer to Katherine and to the east, communities in Beswick and Wugularr are hoping that further rainfall does not worsen existing floodwaters, which have now begun to recede. While these communities did not require evacuation this month, many residents have sought refuge on higher ground.
The BOM indicated on Thursday morning that a peak around the minor flood level was recorded along the Waterhouse River at Beswick Bridge on Wednesday afternoon, following an earlier moderate flood peak in the early hours of Tuesday. “River levels are expected to continue easing over the next few days, with no further flooding expected along the Waterhouse River,” the bureau stated.
Further north, the weather bureau confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that flooding was no longer a threat to Adelaide River. This small town, south of Darwin, bore the brunt of the ex-cyclone’s deluge as the low-pressure system moved across the Northern Territory last weekend.
NT Health Provides Updates on Water and Hospitals
In light of the receding flood threat, boil water alerts that were issued for Batchelor, Numbulwar, Jilkminggan, and Adelaide River have now been lifted. The Chief Health Officer has advised that water in these communities is safe for consumption, and boiling is no longer necessary.
To the north, both Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital emerged from the NT’s latest cyclone event without significant damage. A weather-related ‘code yellow’ that had been in place for the hospitals was lifted on Thursday.
“The code yellow was issued in response to increased patient presentations and bed flow pressures stemming from recent severe weather events across multiple regions,” NT Health explained in a statement. “Due to a number of measures being implemented, demand pressures have eased, and patient flow at both hospitals has improved.”
Meanwhile, in Katherine, a temporary field hospital has been established to provide care for patients, as the town’s permanent medical facility remains temporarily closed due to the flood damage.
