‘There are crocs absolutely everywhere’: NT residents warned to stay out of flood waters as hundreds evacuated | Northern Territory

Flood-affected residents in the Northern Territory have been warned not to swim in crocodile-infested waters as tropical low waters continue to bring major flood warnings and heavy rains to the Top End and Queensland.

NT premier Lia Finocchiaro said hundreds of people were evacuated over the weekend and the entire town of Nauiyu/Daly River in the NT was evacuated on Sunday afternoon.

The Katherine River level reached 19.2 meters at 10.45pm on Saturday, the highest since floods killed three people in 1998. The Daly River was still rising Sunday and was expected to exceed the 1957 level (15.3 meters) next week.

NT acting incident control commander Shaun Gill urged residents not to wade into floodwaters after reports of people swimming.

“There are definitely alligators everywhere… please don’t go in the water,” he said at a news conference Sunday morning. “Do not swim in the water, for two reasons. It is a fast-flowing river and it is also when the crocodiles are most active.”

Gill said there were around 1,000 people in shelters on Saturday after a “very difficult day” of evacuations from Nganmarriyanga (formerly Palumpa), Nauiyu (Daly River community), Katherine and Jilkminggan. 6 aircraft and 18 helicopters were used in rescue efforts.

_{Sign up: AÜ Breaking News email}

Finocchiaro said 80 people who were unable to leave the area on Saturday due to weather conditions were evacuated that morning after being taken to higher ground by boat at night.

“They took shelter overnight and we were able to get them out by helicopter this morning,” he said. The federal and territory governments were activating relief payments capped at $1,537 per family for the Katherine local government area, as well as reestablishment assistance funding of up to $8,847 for eligible households.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Jude Scott said the Daly River could remain at major flood level “at least this week and into next week”.

“The Daly River is a huge river that holds a tremendous amount of water, so it will continue to rise slowly over the next week.”

The Katherine River was still at major flood stage Sunday afternoon. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines said the focus had shifted to Queensland, where a heavy rain warning was issued for the state’s north-west on Sunday.

A tropical low was expected to gradually move southeastward on Sunday and persist through Monday. Six-hour isolated rainfall totals were expected to be up to 100 mm; Total rainfall on the Sunshine Coast was up to 170mm.

Hines said the region was experiencing the cumulative effects of a “long and fairly widespread rainy season.”

“While several minor to moderate flooding is expected in the southeast of the state, some preemptive flood warnings have already been issued before the heaviest rain arrives,” Hines said.

“We cannot rule out the risk of major floods if the rain gets a little heavier.”

A flood warning has been issued for much of Queensland, with major flood risks in the Georgina, Lower Flinders and Thomson rivers.

Evacuations and power outages

Finocchiaro said that government offices, courts and many schools will not be open on Monday, and some schools will be used as shelters. He said two people remaining in Katherine hospital on Saturday had been evacuated to Darwin. While 21 patients were in the temporary emergency service established in the industrial area of ​​the city, 20 pregnant women were transferred to other hospitals by plane as a precaution.

The Prime Minister said the Stuart Highway remained closed due to flooding on both sides of the city, leaving it isolated and making journeys dangerous, but he said trains would now run from Alice Springs to Darwin, which was “good news for food”.

Water levels in Katherine begin to drop as the rains ease slightly, Hines said, but there’s a chance that more isolated rains will “pump more water into the river.”

“We do not rule out the possibility of a new increase in water level in the next few days, but for now the water level is starting to fall.”

Asked about reports that residents were unable to reach emergency services via triple zero, Gill said he did not have details of specific incidents but remained advised to call the number, saying around 120 emergency calls had been made. He said there were “communications issues” as well as power outages affecting at least 90 homes.

One resident posted on the Katherine community Facebook group that he saw an alligator swimming down the street, while another video shared on social media showed an alligator gallop across a road Saturday morning in town.

The NT government issued a #BeCrocwise message to residents during this week’s flooding, advising people to stay away from the water’s edge, avoid wading into floodwater and keep children and pets away.

“Due to current flooding on the Great Rivers and rising river levels, alligators may move into new and unexpected areas, including creeks, drains, flooded roads and other waterways.”

“Assume that any waterway may contain a crocodile.”