Tropical Cyclone Megan has downgraded to a tropical low in Australia’s north-east, where remote communities are still cut off due to major flooding. The town of Borroloola, which is divided into four community groups, has been severely affected, with residents forced to rely on each other to get through the disaster.
Rebecca Whitehead, a local resident, described the scene as though the town was “literally cut in two”. She said the town was isolated, with some residents unable to access essential services like food and medicine. Whitehead criticized the government’s response, saying that they were not prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable.
“We’ve had major flooding. The town was literally cut in two,” Whitehead said. “It was pretty scary, because you’re so isolated from the community [and] the township and over where we are, it seemed like we were the last people … when we should have been the number one priority by having the river so close.”
Despite the difficulties, the community has come together to support each other. Volunteers have been organizing food drop-offs to isolated residents, and locals have been sharing resources to get through the disaster.
Borroloola township is divided into four community groups, with Garawa Camp one and Garawa Camp two being completely cut off from the rest of the community. Residents are forced to boat across the McArthur River to buy food from shops, which is a daunting task during the severe weather conditions.
Cyclone Megan’s Fury Delivers Record-breaking Floods to Remote Australian TownThe Bureau of Meteorology warned of major flooding at the isolated township by Wednesday, which may exceed the major 2001 peak flood level of 15m. The weather has also caused interruptions to power supply in the region, with crews from PowerWater on standby to respond once the weather improves.
The tropical low is expected to move west through inland parts of the Northern Territory over the next few days, with a flood watch remaining in place for inland NT and Carpentaria coastal rivers. The McArthur River is set to exceed the moderate flood level of 13.7m by late Tuesday afternoon, and is likely to surpass the major flood level of 15m by midday Wednesday.
The community is still waiting for assistance from the government, with many residents feeling frustrated and forgotten. MLA Steve Edgington said there were still a couple of hundred angry and frustrated residents waiting at the council office, wondering why they were not evacuated by the government on Sunday.
The Defence force remained on standby to assist with recovery from Tuesday, with personnel poised to provide further support to disaster relief and assistance efforts, conditions permitting. Northern Territory police Supt Sonia Kennon told reporters that the heavy rain and flash flooding was forecast to continue in parts of the Carpentaria and the northern Barkly region on Tuesday morning.
As the community continues to recover from the devastating floods, residents are left to wonder why they were left behind, and why the government’s response was so slow.