Update 2: Flooding – Katherine and Wugularr (Beswick)
12pm Friday 6 March 2026
An Emergency Declaration has been made covering Katherine, Wugularr (Beswick) and Daly River.
A lot of rain fell in the Katherine region overnight, resulting in rapid rises in both the Waterhouse and Katherine Rivers.
Emergency SMS alerts have been sent out to residents in these areas.
People in these areas need to take action now. Residents at Wugularr are being relocated to the top camp.
People in low-lying areas along the Katherine River between Nitmiluk and downstream past town need to move to higher ground now.
Schools
Schools in Katherine are now closed.
Travel
Avoid any unnecessary travel. Road conditions can change rapidly, particularly as the weather deteriorates. If you must travel, please check the Road Report NT website before you head out. The Stuart Highway is already closed at Edith River.
If you have to leave and you can’t take your pets, leave them outside if you have a single storey house. Do not tether them. If you have an elevated/two storey house, they are safer inside where they can escape any rising floodwaters.
Don’t be a floodwit – stay out of any kind of floodwaters. Don’t drive, play or swim in flooded crossings, pipes, drains or culverts. The water may have washed out the road or ground surface, there may be obstacles or debris, it could well be contaminated, and crocodiles are an ever-present risk to the waterways across the Big Rivers and Top End regions.
Please, follow all instructions and stay safe out there.
Stay tuned in to ABC for updates and to follow SecureNT for all the latest alerts and warnings.
Katherine District Hospital
NT Health is enacting emergency management plans to evacuate the Katherine Hospital in preparation for potential major flooding of the Katherine River.
There are 21 patients in the hospital that will be evacuated. This includes 3 high acuity and 18 low acuity patients.
In addition, up to 20 pregnant women, will also be evacuated as a precaution.
The patients will be transported via ambulance to the Katherine Airport. The high acuity patients will be transferred by Careflight.
NT Health staff are working with the Australian Defence Force to arrange for an aircraft to transport the remaining low acuity patients.
Patients will be sent to out other NT Health hospitals in Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Gove depending on capacity, level of acuity and clinical need.
Family and friends of evacuated patients are required to remain in Katherine at a safe place as the Stuart Highway is closed due to flooding on either side of the Katherine township and it is not safe to travel.
NT Health staff will keep you informed of your loved one’s condition and will keep you updated of any changes.
Individuals residing in staff accommodation at the Katherine Hospital precinct have been told to leave the area and go to a safe place. Staff have had flood plans in place since the start of the wet season and are well placed to make these arrangements.
Work is also being done to accommodate and inform locum staff and their agencies about potential flood impacts and to make alternative arrangements.
Medical care in Katherine
NT Health is in the process of establishing a mini Emergency Department at the St John Ambulance headquarters in Katherine located at:
Lot 3159 Chardon Street,
Katherine
08 8972 8500
It is expected the mini–ED will be operational by lunchtime today.
Anyone experiencing a health emergency needs to Call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
For other health related enquiries, contact Health Direct on 1800 022 222
Sandbags in Katherine
NT Emergency Service in Katherine are preparing sandbags to support residents protect homes and businesses ahead of the flooding.
NT Emergency Service will deploy sandbags based on the areas identified as highest priority for flooding.
If community members require sandbags, call 132 500.
Power and Water
Severe weather can disrupt essential services.
We cannot restore power and water services until we can access our infrastructure.
Residents in areas facing severe weather should prepare for 72 hours without power or water.
Residents who rely on life-support equipment should be prepared to enact their emergency back-up plan, should power or water outages occur.
If you have a prepayment power meter, keep topping up in case there is a Telstra outage.
If you have a token power meter, please ensure you have enough tokens to see you through a few days, in case flooding occurs.
Stay away from damaged Power and Water infrastructure. It is dangerous.
If you see damaged infrastructure, call Power and Water on 1800 245 092.