Rain prompts evacuations as 20-year flood hits hard
Floodwaters have reached their highest levels in more than two decades as residents in Australia’s Top End were evacuated after heavy rain.
The Katherine River reached an estimated peak of 19.2 meters at Katherine Bridge on the outskirts of the Northern Territory town of about 6,000 people on Saturday night.
The high water level is above the bridge deck and is at the same level as the 2006 flood.
Authorities are warning of more rain as hundreds of residents in remote areas are evacuated.
All residents from the flood-affected Aboriginal community of Palumpa, south of Darwin, have been evacuated, Prime Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
Evacuations also took place in the Daly River area; here 208 people were moved to safety and about 70 residents decided to stay.
This is the second time in as many months that Daly River residents have been evacuated due to rising floodwaters.
In Beswick, east of Katherine, Bottom Camp residents were moved to Top Camp as a precaution due to rising water levels.
Ms Finocchiaro said 13 helicopters were involved in the evacuation operation and approximately 500 people took shelter in evacuation centers in Katherine and the surrounding area.
Both the Stuart and Victoria highways in the Katherine area were closed due to flooding.
Katherine resident Trent de With used his business social media account to share first-hand accounts of the flooding on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s slowly creeping up now,” Rod and Rifle Tackleworld Katherine said of the rising river on her Facebook page.
“It’s insidiously spreading down the street, and a lot of our friends and family on the north side of town are saying, yes, you’ve lost your homes, you’ve lost lots of your belongings.
“I feel for you and we will be ready for you when you need to clean up… you have a community behind you.”
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said the Herbert and Daintree rivers in the state’s north remained flooded following heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours.
A fall of 212mm was recorded at Alligator Flats near Gladstone, while much of Queensland’s inner north saw falls of between 50 and 150mm.
Mr Narramore said there was little short-term relief in sight as much of the state needed to prepare for the wetting to continue.
