Thousands of people are bracing for Severe Cyclone Narelle as it barrels towards the Northern Territory, with winds of up to 195km/h expected from the dangerous storm as it moves west from far north Queensland.
Narelle was downgraded from a category 4 to a 2 as it moved through the Gulf of Carpentaria after making landfall across Cape York on Friday, forecasted to hit eastern Top End late Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned more than 10,000 residents from Nhulunbuy to Port McArthur, including Borroloola, Numbulwar, Alyangula and Gapuwiyak that Narelle would strengthen as it approaches.
Very destructive winds gusting up to 195km/h were forecast in some areas into Sunday while heavy rain may cause flash flooding.
“There are some key watch points for residents in the Cape York peninsula today, and the first of those is the rivers, which are still raging, water flowing much higher than usual, spilling over the banks and across roads,” the bureau’s senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.
“This is likely isolating communities in the far north of Queensland and making it difficult to get out and assess the damage, reach remote locations and top up supplies.”
The federal emergency management minister, Kirsty McBain, on Saturday morning said Defence had embedded an air liaison officer in the Northern Territory emergency operating centre.
She also said the National Critical Care and Trauma Centre has deployed a team to Katherine for health assessment and clinical resources, including a field hospital should it be required.
On the Gulf of Carpentaria coast, the defence force has evacuated almost 150 people from the community of Numbulwar, with hundreds more to be flown out as Narelle approaches.
In Darwin, about 500 people from Numbulwar made Nightcliff High School’s gym their new home ahead of the cyclone impacting their community.
The Australian government disaster recovery payment has been activated for areas including Chinchilla in Western Downs, Bundaberg central, east, north and south. In the NT this will be extended to Daly River and in the Victoria Daly, and Lansdowne in Roper Gulf.
The payments will be made available from 2pm on Tuesday, with residents advised to check the Services Australia website.
“Additional assessments will be made for impacted areas by Tropical Cyclone Narelle as soon as possible,” McBain said.
The Bureau of Meteorology said there were wind speeds in Weipa and Lockhart River of 110km/h on Friday, with 200 to 300mm of rain in 24 hours. As of Saturday morning, there were no rescues required or casualties, and damage was mostly structural or fallen trees.
Across Cape York, around 1,100 people were without power as of Saturday morning.
Cyclone Narelle is currently category 2, but will strengthen as it moves into the NT, BoM said, and will become a category 3 as it approaches the coast north of Groote Eylandt, with destructive wind gusts near the centre of the system up to 195km/h.
Rainfall is expected to be between 150mm and 200mm daily as the system passes, and a tropical cyclone warning is current for Nhulumbuy and Borroloola.
Rainfall is expected to peak on Sunday and Monday, with potential major flooding for Katherine River, Daly River, Waterhouse and the Adelaide River catchments.
Narelle is expected to track over the Northern Kimberly and move offshore to the Indian Ocean from Tuesday.
Katherine mayor Joanna Holden told AAP the town’s population of 10,000 was taking the forecast seriously and preparations were under way, with sandbagging crews in action from Thursday.
Many properties that had water through them had been cleaned out but other clean-ups were on hold in case buildings flooded again.
The mayor was worried volunteers were becoming exhausted after two weeks of helping with the recovery from the last flooding event earlier this month.
“To have to go back again and potentially have to clean out the same places and see the same devastation, that takes its toll,” she said.
Matthew Ryan, chair of the Northern Land Council in the NT said he had concerns about the quality of care in evacuation centres.
“There’s reports of the food, the bedding, it’s not good enough,” he told the ABC.
“There’s some people [who] have been sleeping without mattresses which is appalling… We should have been better prepared now rather than being reactive. Every time they start from scratch.”
He said there were also reports that displaced communities were being paid 25% of their disaster payments now, and more afterwards.
“There’ll be community members that might be in shelters for a long time to come – 2 or 3 months we’re talking or more,” he said.
“For them to be receiving part payments more or less. It’s disappointing, all the rules should apply for all.”