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Three people drowned as record floodwaters from ex-tropical Cyclone Les swamped Katherine and inundated 1,000 sq km. This caused Katherine's worst-ever flooding exceeding levels of March, 1957 (see separate entry) and triggered a state of emergency also later invoked at Daly River, downstream from Katherine.
At its peak, Cyclone Les (category 2) produced 140km/h winds and heavy rain which struck Groote Eylandt in the Gulf, with no reports of major damage and/or injuries. TC Les then hit theTerritory's mainland at the western Gulf area of Numbulwar, cutting power, unroofing houses and felling trees before turning into a tropical depression. The storm travelled down the Katherine River catchment and increased the river flow rate (420,000 cubic metres/sec - double of 1957). Rainfall across the catchment was 448mm (18") in 48 hours, with reports of 28" in 24 hours at Warruwi. The constant rain on the catchments of the Edith, Cullen & Ferguson Rivers compounded the crisis at Katherine - & subsequently - at Daly River.
A flood prediction system based on the telemetered reading from the Katherine Gorge Caravan Park guage "normally" alerted Katherine with 12 hours' warning of an impending flood. At the gorge's river guage, the level rose quickly in a few hours. The Gorge stopped reading at 10.8m, then the guage at Katherine Bridge went out followed by all the guages along the river. The swiftness of the rising waters was the major problem with the flood. The river rose 18m above dry season level & blocked-off escape roads within hours. Turning into possibly a greater than "1:200 year" flood, it caught the town's residents by surprise, with torrents from stormwater drains quickly filling homes even before the Katherine River broke its banks.
The flood level - recorded at the town's bridge - reached a record peak of 20.3m (previous mark - 19.3m in 3/1957 flood). The floodwaters stayed above the 1957 level for 2 days & 5 hours. Floodwaters cut the Stuart (at Edith River Bridge), Victoria & Roper Highways & washed out gigantic chunks of the road north of the town, & south to Alice Springs. About 1,800 people went to evacuation centres as they were forced to flee from low-lying homes & outback communities. At least 5,000 people were evacuated altogether. At Beswick, only 3 homes remained above the waterline & a metre of water lay in the main street. Floodwaters put the Katherine post office 10 feet underwater.
The town's estimated population of 10,500 residents were all caught-up in the unfolding disaster. Evacuees were rescued by defence and TES personnel in boats and helicopters. RAAF Hercules aircraft flew in food, generators & essential services/personnel before floodwaters covered the airfield. Seriously-ill patients (& staff) at Katherine Hospital were evacuated to Darwin and RAAF base Tindal, south-east of the town. The town's drainage system collapsed & airforce base personnel were called-in to sandbag shops against the rising waters. Within hours the sandbags proved useless against the onslaught of water flowing down from the escarpment as the main street flooded.
Half-metre (current) waves washed through the town's central business district, destroying infrastructure & washing away home belongings. An estimated 1200 of Katherine's 2,054 apartments & houses were flooded (plus approx 50 elsewhere). About 500 businesses in the CBD were flooded. Many cars and several police/emergency service vehicles were washed away or submerged. The flood waters damaged tourist attractions. The town was blacked out as the local power grid went down, taking out radio station transmitters & interrupting phone lines for several days. One example of the town's damage bill came from the owner of the local newspaper, who quoted his loss alone at $1.5M. Food shortages, an outbreak of gastroenteritis, delays caused by the closure of Tindal & round-the-clock measures to re-open badly damaged roads & bridges exacerbated the town's crisis. There were additional dangers of snakes & crocodiles in the town & submerged objects for flood rescue boat users negotiating the fast-flowing currents.
Pastoral and other properties near Katherine (a major part of the area's annual $60m rural industry) suffered heavy losses. Crops, stock & machinery were destroyed, threatening the livelihood of beef, vegetable and mango growers. It was estimated that 2,000 people left Katherine during the floods & many would never return.
About 400 residents of Daly River, south-west of Katherine, were evacuated to a Batchelor shelter as the floodwaters peaked down-river at about 16.8m surpassing previous record levels (1957/1974) of 14.77m. Many houses & buildings were badly damaged including the health clinic, school, police station, shop & a multi-purpose shed.
Summary: Even though the Townsville January 1998 flash flood event cost slightly more (in damage terms), at Katherine there was a far greater effect on the total community. The Katherine flood affected a much higher percentage of the population and town area (ie almost the whole community). The water remained for a much longer period and had a far bigger impact on business as a whole - CBD under water. The Katherine Reconstruction Committee was formed soon after the flood. Many businesses were insured against storm & tempest but not flood. After the river water flooded premises, owners could not prove what damage was caused by the stormwater. The end of the financial year posed problems for those businesses with no records of debtors or creditors. Businesses may not be able to prove who owed money, so much would have been written off. Keeping duplicates of records in different locations was urged as a valuable lesson. Community support played a significant role in the town's recovery. The Red Cross coordinated the distribution of donations to homes & businesses. Some businesses were repaired quickly, as non-flood affected businesses in the same industry donated equipment. Most people cleaned their homes & businesses & then moved on to help others. Five months after the floods, tourist facilities which were inundated by floodwaters, were upgraded & back in business for the tourist season. Tour operators feared losing everything at the time including a canoe shed in Katherine Gorge at Nitmiluk National Park, which was buried beneath 8m of mud & debris. While tourists were initially wary of returning, their numbers increased to the point of a turnaround on previous years.*
The Australian, 26/6/1998; (NT) Territory Business, No 2, 1998; ICA, The Age (Melb) Newspaper, 27/1/1998, 7/2/1998; ABC News Online, 27/1/1998; The Australian Newspaper, 4/2/1998, 7/2/1998; Womens Weekly Magazine, 3/1998, NT News, 24/2/1998; NT Minister, Mike Reed; The Drum Magazine (NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services) |
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