Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Northern Australia Floods Force Mass Evacuations as Katherine River Hits 19.2 Meters

Authorities urge people to avoid floodwaters due to widespread saltwater crocodiles.

Overview

  • About 1,000 people are in emergency shelters as airlifts continue, with six planes and 18 helicopters moving residents from isolated areas.
  • Patients and staff from Katherine Hospital have been relocated to Darwin as floodwaters disrupt critical services.
  • Deputy incident controller Shaun Gill warned that crocodiles are "absolutely everywhere" and pleaded with residents not to enter fast-moving waters.
  • The Bureau of Meteorology expects river levels, including along the Daly River, to remain elevated in the near term.
  • Communities such as Palumpa, Beswick and Jilkminggan, along with settlements on the Daly River, have been evacuated after the river reached its highest level since 1998.