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Update 19: Flooding Katherine and Roper Gulf

9:30am Friday 13 March 2026

Emergency warnings are in place for Katherine Township and Nitmiluk.

Boil Water alerts are in place for Katherine, Wugularr (Beswick) and Tindal.

Residents should be prepared for possible power outages during the flood.

Waste management

The Katherine Waste Management Facility is currently closed to the public.

Residents in flood affected areas may begin placing whitegoods, furniture, clothing, bedding and similar items on their verges for collection. You will need remove all food contents from the fridges, freezers and similar items and place this into your wheelie bin.

Verge collections will commence Thursday, 12 March, and will continue for two weeks. The contractor will complete multiple sweeps through all flood affected areas.

Food waste should be placed in your kerbside bin as normal.

Residents are encouraged to check with their insurer for any requirements before placing items on the verge.

If you lost your bin in the flood and require a new one, please contact Council on 08 8972 5500 or email records@ktc.nt.gov.au. Alternatively, you can use Snap Send Solve service – Incident Type Lost your Wheelie Bin - Flood 2026.

Evacuation centres

Former emergency shelters have now transitioned to evacuation centres.

These centres are supporting residents who cannot safely return home and need longer-term assistance.

Evacuation centreLocation
Katherine High School Grevillea Street, Katherine East
Casuarina Street Primary School Corner Casuarina Street and Needham Terrace, Katherine

The Macfarlane Primary School emergency shelter closed on 12 March.

Financial assistance

Disaster assistance has been activated for residents within the Katherine Town Council area and now extended to the Roper Gulf Local Government Area (Beswick and Jilkminggan only) following an emergency situation declaration and major flooding that has impacted the town.

The Australian and Northern Territory governments are jointly providing support under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) to assist residents affected by flooding in Katherine.

Residents whose homes have been directly impacted may be eligible for Category A, Personal Hardship and Distress Assistance (Immediate Relief Payments) and Re-establishment Measures.

  • Immediate relief payments will be available to all residents of Katherine Town Council area and residents of Jilkminggan and Wugularr/Beswick affected by floods to:

    • assist residents experiencing personal hardship as a result of the flooding
    • help with the immediate impacts of flooding.

    This includes immediate relief payments of $611 per adult and $309 per child, capped at $1,537 per family, with payments made via a pre-paid debit card.

    For information about how to use your pre-paid card, see pre-paid card limitations PDF (204.0 KB).

    Payments for Katherine residents are being made in a phased approach to prioritise those households experiencing the greatest impact.

    Residents include those that reside in the area for work purposes, but their permanent residence may be elsewhere.

    Payments will be prioritised for households most affected, including those whose homes were inundated.

    Please do not come to the payment centre until advised. See below for the first stage of priority phasing.

    How and when to apply

    Find out how and when you can apply below.

    For residents of Katherine

    Katherine residents whose homes have been inundated or who are staying at an evacuation centre.

    On Thursday 12 March – immediate relief payments will be available from 12noon once the venue is safe to open.

    You can apply between:

    • 9am and 5pm weekdays
    • 9am to 5pm Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March.

    All other Katherine residents

    Payments will commence from 9am Friday 13 March.

    Where to apply

    The Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre
    LOT 3238 Stuart Hwy
    Katherine East

    Applications will be processed based on priority groups outlined above.

    Centrelink will be onsite to assist.

    Payments are no longer being processed from Katherine High School.

    What to bring

    Eligible residents must bring:

    • photo ID (e.g. drivers’ licence)
    • proof of residence (recent rental agreement, rates notice, utilities bill, letter from employer)
    • proof of family status (e.g. Medicare card or Centrelink).

    We thank the community for their patience during this time.

    For residents of Jilkminggan

    Payments will be made from the evacuation centre in Mataranka.

    Further information about how to apply will be available shortly.

    For residents of Wugularr/Beswick

    Further information about how to apply will be available shortly.

  • Further assistance may also be available to replace essential household items, with eligible households able to receive up to $8,843.

    This assistance is means tested and there are limits on claims.

    This may include support to repair or replace essential household items, such as:

    • beds and bedding
    • furniture
    • refrigerators
    • washing machines
    • other whitegoods
    • basic household items.

    Eligibility assessment and payment options will be finalised once damage assessments can be completed.

    To ensure you have the appropriate evidence to support damage and eligibility assessments, you must document (photos and footage) any inundation (flooding) of your home.  Do not dispose of damaged items without recording evidence of the damage.

  • Eligible flood-affected residents in the Katherine Town Council area may receive $340 per adult and $172 per child, capped at $1,160 per family to reimburse the cost of short-term temporary accommodation while they are unable to return home. This assistance is means tested.

    How to apply

    Payments are made via reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses up to $1,160 per family.

    Affected residents can apply:

    • in person at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday
    • an online form will be available soon.

    Eligible residents must provide:

    • a tax receipt for out-of-pocket accommodation expenses in the name of the applicant (including ABN and GST details)
    • photo ID (such as drivers’ licence)
    • proof of residence (recent rental agreement, rates notice, utilities bill, letter from employer)
    • proof of annual income (payslips, tax statements or Centrelink statements).

    Income limits apply

    Payments are means-tested, and income thresholds apply. Please see below for income thresholds.

    Personal hardship and distress means testGross income threshold
    Single adult – no children$65,189
    Single adult – with children$84,189
    2 Adults – no children (joint income)$103,189
    2 Adults – with children (joint income)$122,190

  • The DRFA also supports the NT Government and local authorities to undertake:

    • counter-disaster operations
    • debris removal
    • emergency works
    • restoration of essential public infrastructure.

Schools and government offices

Schools and government offices in Katherine remain closed with some limited school reopenings from Thursday 12 March.

Kintore Street School O’Shea Campus (Years 7–12) and the Katherine Flexible Learning and Engagement Centre (KFLEC) will reopen from Thursday 12 March. Students from these sites can return to their school programs.

Kintore Street School’s Kintore Campus, Families as First Teachers (FaFT) and preschool programs remain closed at this time.

To support families as Katherine recovers from flooding, pop-up schools remain in operation.

Pop-up schools

  • North side pop-up will operate at Clyde Fenton Primary School and support students from Clyde Fenton Primary School and students in Year 7-9 at Katherine Highschool.
  • South side pop-up will operate at Katherine South Primary School and support students from Katherine South, Casuarina Street and MacFarlane Primary Schools. Students in evacuation centres that are not enrolled in a Katherine school can also attend this program.
  • Year 10-12 pop-up will operate at Katherine School of the Air and support students in Year 10-12 from Katherine High School.

Pop-up schools will operate from 8:15am to 2:45pm.

These arrangements are in place until Friday 13 March 2026.

  • Families are responsible for transporting their children.
  • School bus services are not currently operating.
  • Drive carefully and avoid flooded roads. If it’s flooded, forget it.
  • Students must bring their own lunch.

Students currently in evacuation centres will have transport and lunch provided, with buses departing at 8:00am.

Government schools

The following government schools in Katherine remain closed or partially closed:

  • Casuarina Street Primary School
  • Clyde Fenton Primary School
  • Katherine High School, including Katherine Flexible Learning Centre
  • Katherine School of the Air
  • Katherine South Primary School
  • Kintore Street School (Kintore Campus only – O’Shea Campus has reopened)
  • MacFarlane Primary School.

Remote schools

The following remote schools across the Big Rivers region remain closed:

  • Jilkminggan School
  • Mataranka School
  • Nganmarriyanga School - read more about Palumpa
  • Woolianna School - read more about Daly River
  • Wugularr School.

Students from Nganmarriyanga and Woolianna schools are currently attending pop-up schools in Darwin and Palmerston.

Road update

Stuart Highway update

The Stuart Highway is currently open from Alice Springs through to Darwin. Some sections have water over the road or speed restrictions in place due to repair works. Motorists are asked to drive with caution and follow all traffic management.

Victoria Highway

The Victoria Highway is closed between Zimin Drive and Buntine Highway intersection.

Roper Highway

The Roper Highway is closed between Strangways Creek and Numbulwar Road

Do not drive on closed or flooded roads. Road conditions can change quickly. For up to date advice, go to Road Report NT website.

Power and Water

Major flooding has caused extensive disruption to Power and Water services in Katherine and several remote communities.

Restoration begins with large and critical infrastructure repaired first, followed by smaller infrastructure, then individual homes. This means the largest number of people are safely reconnected in the shortest time possible.

If your property has water damage, the service line to your home has come loose or the connection point where the service line joins your property is damaged, you must contact an NT-licensed electrician to check your wiring before Power and Water can reconnect your power.

They will lodge a Certificate of Compliance, which lets crews know your property is safe to reconnect.

You can find further information about service connections and the regulations around compliance PowerWater website.

Boil water alert

Heavy rainfall and flooding in the area may have impacted the water supply system.

The Department of Health has issued a Boil Water Alert for the communities of:

  • Katherine
  • Wugularr (Beswick)
  • Tindal.

Use cooled boiled water or bottled water for:

  • drinking
  • preparing food
  • preparing baby formula
  • brushing teeth.

Medical care in Katherine

NT Health has established a mini Emergency Department at the St John Ambulance headquarters in Katherine located at:

Lot 3159 Chardon Street
Katherine
08 8973 9211

Anyone experiencing a health emergency needs to Call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

For other health related enquiries, contact Health Direct on 1800 022 222.

Katherine District Hospital

All patients from Katherine Hospital have been evacuated to Darwin.

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 emergency plans throughout the wet season and are well placed to make these arrangements.

Plans are in place accommodate and inform locum staff and their agencies about potential flood impacts and to make alternative arrangements.

Sandbags in Katherine

NT Emergency Service crews in Katherine have sandbags for residents to protect their homes and businesses during the flooding.

You can pick up sandbags from 14 Chardon Street, Katherine.

If community members require sandbags, you can attend NTES Katherine or call 132 500.

Page last updated 13 March 2026

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