Borroloola is facing an imminent, record-breaking flood, emergency services say, with the Australian Defence Force attempting to airlift hundreds of residents out of the community before nightfall.
Emergency services have ordered a partial evacuation of Borroloola, a community near the Gulf of Carpentaria coast.
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said updated modelling following heavy rains associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Megan now predicted the McArthur River at Borroloola to reach 18 metres – three metres above the river's recorded major flood peak in 2001.Previous modelling had drastically underestimated the impacts of rainfall on the river, Mr Murphy said, with authorities having planned for a 15.3 metre peak."A one-in-100-year flood is really serious," he said.
Mr Murphy said two residential areas of Borroloola, Garuwa and Yanyawa, were home to about 350 residents and would be inundated.Workers are nervously waiting to find out how long the NT's largest mine will remain closed due to damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Megan, as Groote Eylandt locals battle ongoing challenges accessing essential supplies.
The Borroloola residents are being evacuated to Foskeys Pavilion and Marrara Stadium, authorities said. "We are reliant on the information from the Bureau and the bureau modelling was putting it at 15.3 metres," he said.
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