Communities in the Northern Territory’s Top End are preparing to face a second round of flooding as Tropical Cyclone Narelle continues to move west across the Top End, bringing heavy rain to already waterlogged regions.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall on the eastern Top End coast near Cape Shield in remote Arnhem Land in the early hours of Sunday morning as a severe category 3 system.
Earlier in the week, the storm system crossed far north Queensland on Friday as a powerful category 4 system.
While no longer a cyclone, ex Tropical Cyclone Narelle has now been downgraded to a tropical low system and continues to bring tropical moisture to the Top End.
The town of Katherine is particularly concerned about river levels.
Major flood warnings have been issued once more after heavy rains filled catchments in the Territory’s major river region earlier in March, flooding homes and businesses.
The Australian and Northern Territory governments have initiated disaster recovery payments for impacted residents and all Katherine government schools have been closed since March 23.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that rainfall totals are expected to exceed 200 millimeters in some areas, with the Katherine River and Waterhouse River forecast to return to major flood levels.
The Daly River, which is already in major flood, is expected to stay at its peak for an extended period. The flood watch extends as far as Broome in Western Australia.
Hundreds of residents from the isolated Gulf community of Numbulwar were flown to Darwin by RAAF aircraft in advance of the storm and are hoping to return home soon.
The low is forecast to pass over the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf on Monday before moving into the northern Kimberley region.
Jonathan How from the Bureau of Meteorology said that the low was expected to quickly re intensify into a tropical cyclone midweek and possibly reach severe Category 3 strength again near the Pilbara coast by Thursday morning.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said that the storm would push water levels higher in an area where the ground was already saturated and rivers were already full.
In the meantime, after Narelle uprooted trees and tore roofs from buildings late last week, the cleanup is still ongoing in far north Queensland, where state schools have reopened and power is being restored.
Emergency fuel supplies have been transported by police to remote Cape York communities.
Both jurisdictions residents are advised to keep an eye on the Bureau’s most recent alerts, stay away from floodwater on roads and call the NT Emergency Service at 132 500 for storm and flood assistance.
