Hundreds of Territorians have been relocated or stranded after Arnhem Land floods

Disease and hunger threaten hundreds of Territorians as late season rains have made an impact. Read what’s happened.

Hundreds of remote Territorians are displaced and many more could follow as the effects of late Wet season weather events leave parts of northeast Arnhem Land submerged.

Glenda Abraham, chief executive of Laynhapuy Homelands, said some residents had been forced to flee their homelands this Wet season as a precaution against flooding, but many of those are now living in overcrowded housing in larger centres like Yirrkala and Nhulunbuy.

Ms Abraham said hundreds of residents in 27 communities and homelands who chose to stay are facing an extended period of isolation while they wait for the floodwaters to recede.

Impacted centres include Gutjangan, Rurrangala, Wandawuy, Birany Birany and Gan Gan.

“For those that stay in homelands we try our best to deliver ongoing services,” Ms Abraham said.

“In the past we have been able to access homelands via roads, it may have had a few days delay with wet weather but this year has seen unprecedented rain.

Mission Aviation Fellowship staff loading emergency supplies at Gove Airport.

“We have been unable to do food delivery to our stores since mid-April and we have people hungry in many homelands.

“Fuel is at critical low levels and without power the community cannot run fridges and freezers for food preservation, medical equipment, pumps for water and so on.

“To deliver fuel, we need at least three weeks of no rain to dry out roads and to receive permits to travel with heavy vehicles.”

Community residents caught up in the weather events also face unprecedented health risks.

“Sewerage is another issue, because we regularly pump the communities and with rising underground water, sewerage is pouring across communities which creates health concerns.”

Another aspect of the isolation is the absence of tobacco, medicinal marijuana or kava which results in withdrawal symptoms that can also lead to an escalation in violent behaviour.

“We have no retrieval service to support anyone who suffers the impact of violence as a victim or the patient,” she said.

Baniyala residents stocking emergency supplies delivered by Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Ms Abraham said the NT Government had resisted declaring a state of emergency because Laynhapuy Homelands was delivering services, albeit those being extremely restricted by weather access.

“We’re not funded to do this,” she said.

“We’re paying for this ourselves but this is the service the government should be delivering.”

Arnhem Land based Mission Aviation Fellowship flies goods and services across communities and homelands, with pilot James Gullett saying his aircraft was swamped by locals in Dhalinybuy when they discovered he had food on board.

“It’s really bad,” Mr Gullett said.

“Once you get onto the individual access roads for each homeland, it’s just not passable. They haven’t had food for what has probably been a couple of weeks in some places.”

The organisation’s Arnhem Land Programme director Ben Brown said it had flown over 1100kg of essential food items to five remote communities.

“There is literally no other way for these essential items to reach people except by air,” he said.

An NT Government spokesman said the situation was being monitored and support would be activated “if needed”.

Originally published as Hundreds of Territorians have been relocated or stranded after Arnhem Land floods