Final Nauiyu residents are returning home after nearly four months away, ending emergency declarations.
Repatriation follows months of hard work to restore homes, essential services and community infrastructure.
Chief Minister pays tribute to resilience and strength of local community residents and businesses
The final Nauiyu residents are returning home today after nearly four months away, after emergency conditions were declared over for the Palumpa and Nauiyu communities following one of the Northern Territory’s largest and longest flood recovery efforts.
As Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro formally signed an end to the emergency arrangements today.
This means the communities have returned to normal agency arrangements after residents were evacuated from the community on 7 March as floodwaters rose along the Daly River, eventually reaching a record peak of 16.42 metres on 15 March.
More than 2,100 people were displaced during the emergency.
Following the Department of Housing clearing the homes for residents to return, NT Power and Water has reconnected power and the local shop is open. Woolianna school will return as normal from term three, while the Francis Xavier School will return in demountables.
The Chief Minister said the repatriation reflected months of coordinated work by government agencies, community leaders, contractors, service providers and Aboriginal community organisations to restore homes, essential services and community infrastructure.
“For many residents, this has been a long and challenging journey that included evacuation, displacement and uncertainty about when they would be able to return home,” Mrs Finocchiaro said.
“That’s why today marks an important milestone for Nauiyu families and for everyone involved in this recovery effort.
“While we understand that this has been a challenging time for the displaced families, it is good news to be able to declare that the formal emergency is now over. There is of course still work to do to restore these communities and my Government will continue to support the people of Palumpa and Nauiyu.
“I also want to recognise the resilience and strength of residents and businesses on Wooliana Road and across the wider Daly River region as they support the region’s economic recovery and get back to business.”
On-the-ground assessments indicate that the major recovery objectives have been achieved, and that the remaining clean-up efforts can be managed through standard agency processes.
Staged returns to Nauiyu began in late May.
The Chief Minister said the scale of this recovery was enormous, with homes, infrastructure and essential services needing to be restored following the largest recorded flood on the Daly River.
“I want to thank the many government agencies, contractors, service providers, community leaders, volunteers, the Green River Aboriginal Corporation and local residents who worked together to make this possible, as well as the Batchelor community for welcoming evacuees during their time away from home,” Mrs Finocchiaro said.
The Daly River remained above major flood level for more than a week before slowly receding.
For many families, the evacuation meant months away from their homes, community, schools, jobs and daily routines while extensive recovery and restoration works were undertaken.
Every piece of community infrastructure was affected. Roads were damaged, sewerage and power services required restoration, and homes required extensive cleaning and remediation following prolonged inundation.
This was one of the largest emergency operations undertaken by the Northern Territory Government, with multiple and concurrent events stretching resources across the Territory.
Throughout the prolonged emergency season, the Welfare Group, led by Department of Children and Families, supported 2,147 displaced Territorians across several evacuation centres and emergency accommodation sites.
Minister for Children and Families Robyn Cahill paid tribute to the Welfare Group and said that with the repatriation complete and people back in their homes, the focus can turn to the long-term social and economy recovery of the Daly River region.
“The Welfare Group, led by the Department of Children and Families, has worked alongside many partners to support residents every step of the way, from emergency accommodation and wellbeing support through to helping families safely return home,” Minister Cahill said.
“I am incredibly proud of the public servants, humanitarian organisations, volunteers and community partners who have supported more than 2,100 displaced Territorians throughout this prolonged emergency season.”
The evacuation and recovery operation saw around 200 Nauiyu residents accommodated at BIITE in Batchelor since late March, following an initial evacuation to Darwin as floodwaters inundated the community.
