Residents facing a mammoth clean-up after devastating flooding across the Top End are now being urged to prepare for more rain and a possible cyclone in the days ahead.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle is currently expected to hit the Northern Territory’s east coast near Groote Eylandt as a category 2 system early Sunday morning before continuing to sweep west across the base of the Top End.
A cyclone watch for the NT is yet to be issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
But while communities around Groote Eylandt and Borroloola are currently bracing for the biggest impact, authorities are warning that a large swathe of the territory could also feel the system’s effects.
Live 5-day Cyclone Narelle forecast mapThis map shows a forecast of Tropical Cyclone Narelle’s path for the next five days.It also shows high wind, cyclone watch and cyclone warning areas.Refer to the Bureau of Meteorology for official cyclone warnings and forecasts.
NT Fire and Emergency Services deputy commissioner Adam White said that includes communities and river catchments inundated in this month’s floods.
“That message for getting ready goes all the way down the east coast of the NT, so all the way from Galiwin’ku all the way around the east coast to the border,” he said.
“Then it continues all the way inland across the whole of the Big Rivers region to the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf over the coming days.
“It is an intense system, it’s fast-moving and it will have widespread effects.”
A thin trail of 100mm to 300mm of rain will follow under the long westward path of Cyclone Narelle this week. (ABC News)
No renewed flooding is currently expected in the Katherine River.
But BOM senior forecaster Sally Cutter said forecasters are still modelling the system’s path, which would determine how much rain falls in the Katherine catchment.
$100m NT flood recovery fund announced
“It will most likely be a cyclone when it crosses the coast, and it will weaken out as it moves across the land,” she said.
“It just depends exactly the path it’s taking — [if] it goes between Katherine and Darwin … Katherine won’t get the heavier rainfall.
“It really depends exactly where it goes and there’s still a little bit of variation with the models.”
Katherine officially transitioned to the recovery phase on Monday after last week experiencing its worst flooding in 28 years.
The Member for Katherine, Jo Hersey, said residents were worried about the forecast and keen to get more information.
“I know that everyone that I’ve spoken to is very nervous,” she said.
Katherine is recovering after its worst floods in 28 years. (ABC News: James Elton)
“We will keep very closely monitoring [the situation] with the BOM and I urge people to keep [up-to-date through] Secure NT.”
Late yesterday, Power and Water Corporation (PWC) said only a “small number” of properties remained without power, but that preparations are underway for further severe weather.
Weather puts NT health system under stress
On Tuesday, health authorities revealed the territory’s three largest hospitals in Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs had made “code yellow” declarations, which are triggered when a facility is over capacity.
The declarations can mean the cancellation of some elective surgeries and moves to increase patient discharge.
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An NT Health statement said the hospital system was experiencing “system-wide pressures … due to simultaneous and ongoing emergency responses to weather events.”
Chief executive Chris Hosking told ABC Darwin that Royal Darwin Hospital was caring for patients evacuated from Katherine and residents of remote communities needing treatments for chronic disease.
“When we called the code yellow [at Royal Darwin Hospital], I think we had more than 20 patients double-bunked in emergency, every hospital bed was full,” he said.
“We had taken over one ward in the private hospital in order to care for the patients extracted from Katherine, and there were still another 50 people waiting in the waiting room to be seen.”
Mr Hosking said NT Health was asking medical staff in the wider system to volunteer to relieve hospital colleagues if possible.
NT Health said it urged people requiring non-urgent care to contact a GP or Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.