Katherine's mayor has warned locals to be wary of flood waters after a saltwater crocodile was spotted on the town's Australian rules football oval. The sighting comes as record-breaking rain across the Northern Territory's Top End has prompted major flood warnings, evacuation orders and boil water alerts.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued major flood warnings for rivers including the Katherine, Daly and Georgina. The Daly River, which flows 354km to the Timor Sea, is expected to peak at about 15.3 metres by Wednesday – its highest level since 1998 – while the Katherine River peaked at 19.2 metres on Saturday night, the highest since that same year. Senior meteorologist Angus Hines said the flooding was due to a 'whole whack of tropical moisture' from low pressure systems.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the communities of Palumpa, Jilkminggan and Nauiyu (Daly River) to Darwin. At least seven schools have closed in Katherine and five in the Big Rivers region. The NT health department has advised residents in Katherine, Wugularr, Tindal, Palumpa and Nauiyu to boil their water for drinking, food preparation and brushing teeth.
Major transport routes, including the Stuart, Victoria, Roper and Buchanan highways and Central Arnhem Road, remain closed in parts due to flooding. Dheran Young, the local member for Daly, said residents were anxious about being cut off and worried about access to essential goods such as food and medicine. However, the ABC has reported that some rail and road routes have reopened to supply food.
Rainfall totals have been extreme, with 571.5mm falling at Daly River police station in five days and 241mm at Katherine Bridge. Mayor Joanna Holden said she had never seen so many crocodiles in local flood waters, adding: 'It just adds another element of danger to the whole cleanup.' NT incident control acting commander Shaun Gill urged people to stay out of the water, saying: 'There are crocs absolutely everywhere.'
