Katherine experiences worst flooding in 28 years as remote NT communities evacuated

Katherine has experienced its worst flooding in 28 years, with several Territorians rescued by helicopter this weekend after they were stranded in a nearby remote community.

Authorities received 120 calls for help across the Top End over the 24 hours to Sunday afternoon, with roughly 1,000 flood evacuees currently being housed in temporary shelters.

The Katherine River peaked at 19.2 metres around 10:45pm on Saturday, inundating homes and businesses, but has been falling since.

Some residents reported waters had reached up to roof level, with authorities this morning confirming at least 90 Katherine homes lost power.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said, at its highest point, floodwaters went above the deck of the Katherine Bridge.

Katherine Hospital was evacuated and closed this weekend, about 570 people are sheltering in the town's three emergency evacuation centres, and water has overwhelmed a flood levee built around the Katherine CBD.

The BOM said the Katherine River was likely to remain above the major flood level of 17.5 metres until later on Sunday.

The last time Katherine reached the major flood level was in 2006, when residents were forced to leave their homes before the river peaked at 19.17 metres.

This weather emergency has become the worst flooding event the town has experienced since 1998.

The BOM said an active monsoon trough could bring more showers and storms across the Top End, but forecasts did not predict rainfall totals would be high enough to trigger further Katherine River level rises.

Many roads in and around the town have been closed and several emergency evacuations have taken place in surrounding communities.

NT incident controller Shaun Gill said, in terms of emergencies in the NT, "it doesn't get much bigger" than the weather event currently unfolding in Katherine and beyond.

"The reason for that is because it's not one place," he said this morning.

"We've got Beswick, Darwin, Daly River, Palumpa, Wadeye is now affected [and] there's a number of outstations that we looked at.

Flood risk continues in remote NT

Hundreds of millimetres of rain have been dumped over catchments in recent days, sending a surge of water down several rivers.

It caused the town of Daly River, also known as Nauiyu, to reach and exceed the major flood level of 14 metres yesterday.

"We're seeing the Daly River continue to rise in response to the heavy rainfall from the last few days", the BOM's Jude Scott said.

Floodwaters at the local police station were sitting at 14.4 metres as of Sunday afternoon, she said.

"The Daly River is a huge river, holding enormous volumes of water, so it will continue to slowly rise during the next week."

If the BOM's predictions eventuate, floodwaters would surpass the peak reached in Daly River just last month — when major flooding triggered another emergency evacuation.

Daly River's 300-odd residents have been moved out of the community and into Darwin for the second time this year, having only returned home two weeks ago from the last natural disaster.

Emergency evacuations move thousands

Daly River residents are expected to endure another weeks-long stay at the Foskey Pavilion emergency evacuation centre in Darwin's showgrounds.

On Sunday afternoon, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said "a massive evacuation effort" was continuing today, transporting the remaining Daly River locals to safety after severe weather hampered Saturday's efforts.

"We were successful in being able to evacuate 220 people yesterday [Saturday]," she said. 

She said boats and 18 helicopters — one from Australian Border Force — assisted the Daly River evacuation as water levels continued to rise.

"Last night, as part of that evacuation, we had to move 80 people by boat," the chief minister said. 

"Eighty people from Daly River [were taken] to Five Mile, and then from Five Mile to Woolianna School where they took shelter overnight. 

"Then we've been able to helicopter them out this morning, which is why everyone is here in Darwin at the Foskey Pavilion."

Further south-west of Nauiyu, about 200 residents were also evacuated by air from the remote community of Palumpa — also known as Nganmarriyanga — as floodwaters inundated a number of homes.

Most residents on the lower end of town, located about 350 kilometres south-west of Darwin, had evacuated to the airstrip on higher ground yesterday, where more than a dozen helicopters were helping transport them to Darwin.

Authorities said 11 people became stranded by Palumpa's rapidly rising floodwaters, with the group rescued by a helicopter winch overnight and flown north.

This morning, Acting Commander Gill described the job as "more of a rescue" than an evacuation, but confirmed they were now all safe and accounted for at the Marrara Indoor Stadium evacuation centre.

Acting Commander Gill said "an incredibly large welfare and support network" was required to support the city's two active evacuation shelters.

Yesterday, he confirmed more than 100 people from Jilkminggan, a small community 140 kilometres south-east of Katherine, had also self-evacuated due to flood risk. 

The incident controller said around 60 people trapped in the community by floodwaters self-evacuated with the help of police, who transported them by boat to the nearby town of Mataranka where a shelter has been established.

Moderate flooding also hit the remote community of Beswick, also known as Wugularr, this weekend. 

Based about 100 kilometres south-east of Katherine, Beswick locals have continued to shelter in place as floodwaters and elevated river levels began to recede.

Authorities said most homes in the community were on higher ground, safe from flooding, as BOM predicted more "moderate to heavy rainfall" for Beswick over the next couple of days.

The weather bureau this morning said "renewed rises to the moderate flood level or prolonged flooding are possible" for Waterhouse River, while levels "remain elevated across the Roper River".

Wadeye, which is regularly cut-off during wet season, is experiencing telecommunications issues as a result of the severe weather.

Acting Commissioner Travis Wurst said, "because there's a linkage between Daly River to Wadeye, there is an impact to communications in Wadeye at this point in time".

"Our digital communications team within government are working to determine what the issue is and rectify that as quickly as possible," he said.

Thanks expressed to those impacted

Local member Jo Hersey said Katherine was pulling together to support one another.

"It is quite overwhelming, flooded again," she said. 

Acting Commander Gill reminded Territorians of the risks associated with this emergency — not just the threat of fast-moving floodwaters, but the dangerous wildlife lurking below the surface.

He said crocodiles were "absolutely everywhere" and asked people to avoid the water.

"We've had independent reports of people swimming in rivers," he said this morning.

"My message is quite clear, please do not do that."

However, in general, Acting Commander Gill said the community had been "incredibly helpful" through the extreme weather event.

"The support we're getting and the adherence to our emergency orders has been fantastic and we just ask you to continue that."