Northern Territory residents affected by the Katherine region’s worst flooding in decades have expressed frustration over access to hardship payments after waiting hours in line only to be turned away.
Hundreds of people impacted by the ongoing disaster have been queuing at Katherine’s Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre this week to access disaster relief support.
The payments are available to residents in the Katherine local government area, 300 kilometres south of Darwin, as well as those from the nearby communities of Beswick and Jilkminggan.
Hundreds of people have been lining up outside the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre since the distribution site was switched from Katherine High School. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
They were initially being distributed from Katherine High School before the venue was changed to the arts centre due to the volume of people seeking assistance.
But locals arrived at the centre on Thursday morning to find it taped off due a burst sewerage main.
Many turned up well ahead of its opening time in the hope of being first in line after spending hours in long queues over previous days.
Shania Raymond said it was her third day in a row trying access the hardship payments after being turned away on Monday and Tuesday.
Crews were working to fix a burst sewer main impacting authorities’ ability to distribute disaster relief on Thursday. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
“The first day we were at the high school, I was there from 12pm and didn’t walk home till 5 o’clock,” she said.
“Then they told us to come here yesterday and yesterday I came at 12 and then they told me that it was closed at 1 o’clock so I had to walk home again.
“We really need money for food and because we’re staying at family’s house we need food and blankets and warm clothes because of the rain.
“Now I have to wait for another three, four hours.”
Matty Ahmat, who had been couch surfing for five days after his home was flooded, said he was eager to access the relief payments.
“[The ATMs] haven’t been reloaded for the last couple of days, so it’s been hard getting money,” he said.
“Everyone needs a bit of money right now, especially now Woolies is open again.”
Cameron Hunter told the ABC he arrived more than half an hour early to access the payments on Thursday morning only to be told to come back hours later.
Hundreds in evacuation shelters
Mr Hunter said the evacuation shelter where he was staying was stretched trying to cater for so many people.
“Being at a shelter it’s been pretty good but sometimes, like in the mornings, they’ve run out of water and stuff,” he said.
Cameron Hunter says there are just two showers and one washing machine between 200 people staying at the Katherine evacuation centre. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
“I think they were catching rainwater and boiling it for a while.”
Mr Hunter said there were up to 200 people staying at the evacuation centre but it was a “pretty good crowd” and everyone was making do as best they could.
“It’s not specifically made for that sort of thing,” he said.
“So you’ve got two showers for 200 people and you’ve got one washing machine for 200 people.”
Hundreds of people remain in evacuation centres or unable to return to their properties due to being cut off by floodwaters or for safety reasons.
Some of those lined up on Thursday said they were getting desperate for food and warm clothing. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
While crews worked to fix the sewerage issue, MLA for Katherine Jo Hersey said for anyone not “needing the assistance desperately” there was no need to rush to collect the payments.
“They will be ongoing for a couple of weeks so no one’s gong to miss out,” she said.
Sewerage infrastructure damaged
Speaking to the media, Chief Heath Officer Paul Burgess said that a boil water alert still remains in place for Katherine and Jilkminggan.
Dr Burgess said there had been a “significant amount of damage” to Katherine’s sewerage infrastructure and that the sewerage leaks that followed had yet to be “fully contained”.
Katherine’s sewerage infrastructure has been damaged significantly.
“Until those sewerage leaks are contained and we can guarantee safe water supply, the boil alert remains in place for the Katherine community,” Mr Burgess said.
As for the Jilkminggan community, Mr Burgess said while residents had been evacuated from the area, Power and Water Corporation (PWC) still needed to “restore the infrastructure and to test the water supply” before it could be deemed safe again.