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Speaker 1: We will head across there right now because we know

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Speaker 1: that the flooding across the top end continues to cause concerns,

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Speaker 1: with hundreds evacuated to Darwin over the weekend. Now joining

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Speaker 1: us on the show is the acting Commander and incident Controller,

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Speaker 1: Emma Carter. Hopefully we've got her on the line. Good

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Speaker 1: morning to.

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Speaker 2: You, Emma, Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Now can you give us a bit of an update

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Speaker 1: as to where things are at this morning in terms

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Speaker 1: of Catherine, the Daily and Big Rivers. I know that

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Speaker 1: we've been keeping an eye on all of those areas

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Speaker 1: for further flooding.

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Speaker 2: Yes, certainly so. In Catherine, have some updates on the

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Speaker 2: roads for you first of all, and we've got some

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Speaker 2: good news that the highway is now open from Darwin

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Speaker 2: to Tindle. However, from a Tindle rap Space turn off

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Speaker 2: to Larama we have those that road closed at the moment.

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Speaker 2: We had some significant damage to the road surface there,

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Speaker 2: so haven't got a timeframe with when that will reopen. However,

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Speaker 2: we will keep everybody updated. Just in relation to our shelters,

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Speaker 2: we still have our emergency centers all opening, Katherine, and

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Speaker 2: we also have our julk Mingen community in shelters in Madaranka.

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Speaker 2: We have all of our welfare groups working very hard

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Speaker 2: to keep all of those evacuees comfortable and they have

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Speaker 2: all been really good sports down there, considering they've been

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Speaker 2: there for quite a while. In relation to our schools,

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Speaker 2: Katie Soo NTG schools do remain closed in Katherine today. However,

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Speaker 2: we do have three pop up schools we're calling them

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Speaker 2: at Catherine's, South Clyde Fenton and School of the Air

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Speaker 2: just to accommodate those students in our evacuation centers and

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Speaker 2: any other school students that wish to attend school today.

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Speaker 2: Those pop up schools are there for them. Impact assessments

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Speaker 2: are ongoing in parts of Katherine as the water receives,

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Speaker 2: as well as Binjari and Rock Community and Beswick and

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Speaker 2: jilk Mingen will also commence today, So we'll just move

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Speaker 2: to the Daily River area as you are there, Katie,

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Speaker 2: so we still have all of our community members from

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Speaker 2: those areas including Plump are evacuated and in emergency centers

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Speaker 2: in Darwin, and the water levels are still very high

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Speaker 2: there and at it we're at a major floodwatch, still

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Speaker 2: even looking at peaking today or tomorrow those levels. So

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Speaker 2: impact assessment and our survey and rescue teams are going

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Speaker 2: to commence in the very near future too, get those

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Speaker 2: reports back to us.

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Speaker 1: So just with those communities, with the daily and also

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Speaker 1: with I think you said, Palumpa there. How long are

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Speaker 1: we expecting that they're going to be here in Darwin?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, Look, I don't have a time praying for

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Speaker 2: you at this stage because the flood levels, the water levels,

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Speaker 2: they're still in undated those houses. That water is taking

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Speaker 2: a while to receive in those areas, and those impact

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Speaker 2: assessment surveys will be commencing today and over the coming days.

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Speaker 2: So by the time those reports are all collated and

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Speaker 2: we'll put back, we'll have a further update for you

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Speaker 2: towards the end of the week.

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Speaker 1: Now, how are the residents going in those shelters? Are

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Speaker 1: they all sort of tracking along? Okay at this point.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Look understandably, it's a difficult situation, a difficult time

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Speaker 2: for all of our evacuees, and we are just doing

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Speaker 2: everything we possibly can to maintain that they're comfortable over

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Speaker 2: this time.

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Speaker 1: Emma. We've unfortunately had parents who've got kids out at

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Speaker 1: Marara for different sports in recent days. They're pretty concerned

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Speaker 1: after seeing people drinking and also smoking balls around the

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Speaker 1: footpath and behind the stairs they're near basketball. Is there

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Speaker 1: work being done to keep people safe? And are the

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Speaker 1: evacuees allow to drink out there?

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Speaker 2: Look, I know is the answer to that, Katie. We

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Speaker 2: have got security in place in those areas. I can

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Speaker 2: just advise that if they are, if that sort of

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Speaker 2: behavior is being observed by members of the public, that

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Speaker 2: it is called into the one three, one triple four

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Speaker 2: and we will take care of that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, because I guess it is a concern. Then if

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Speaker 1: you you know, if you're transporting your kids out there,

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Speaker 1: ordinarily like a lot of kids walking around in that area,

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Speaker 1: the last thing you want is people to be intoxicated

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Speaker 1: or you know, to have drug paraphernalia around the place.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, completely understand that, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So essentially if people see that, they need to

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Speaker 1: just call one three.

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Speaker 2: One triple four. Yes, please all right.

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Speaker 1: Now, In terms of food supply, I know you touched

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Speaker 1: on the roads reopening, but how are things looking, you

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Speaker 1: know from that perspective, more generally, our foods.

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Speaker 2: Are yes, So our food supplying Darwin Is has not

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Speaker 2: been Yes, good, yes, critical goods have come back to

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Speaker 2: us to say, sorry, I was expecting you to ask

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Speaker 2: about Katherine. Then can comment, sorry, I can comment that

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Speaker 2: the food drops have all been completed within the last

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Speaker 2: couple of days to Catherine and all of our outlying

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Speaker 2: homelands around the Daily River area. Reports that there are

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Speaker 2: sufficient food stores and storage out there with no community

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Speaker 2: members any other feed Some.

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Speaker 1: Had asked yesterday, and I don't know whether they mean

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Speaker 1: more so for the Darwin shelters or in Catherine, but

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Speaker 1: why or if they're allowed to cook in those shelters.

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Speaker 2: No, Katie, those shelters are being fully supplied with daily meals,

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Speaker 2: no cooking. Now.

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Speaker 1: In terms of Darwin River, we've received a number of

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Speaker 1: messages and calls this morning about Darwen River and people

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Speaker 1: impacted out at Darwen River and really wondering why there's

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Speaker 1: been no support for them or you know, or any

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Speaker 1: kind of evacuation for some of those people that have

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Speaker 1: been in danger.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, So we understand that those inquiries are coming

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Speaker 2: in and we are assessing them as they do. We

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Speaker 2: were made aware, sorry, we were aware that there were

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Speaker 2: calls for assistance from the nights of March onwards that

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Speaker 2: en tests did attend to that we are or we're

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Speaker 2: just going through that those calls and information at the

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Speaker 2: moment for assessment.

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Speaker 1: Was this sort of adequate communication provided to the people

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Speaker 1: of Darwen River that there could potentially be a weather

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Speaker 1: event where they may end up in this situation.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we were under a flood warning and severe storm

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Speaker 2: warning over those days, Katie, So the Bureau does put

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Speaker 2: that in a very timely manner and secure and Tey

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Speaker 2: had that information up there for those residents.

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Speaker 1: Now, the other thing, Emma, there's been a bit of

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Speaker 1: criticism over the last couple of days in terms of

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Speaker 1: the communication that's been coming out when it comes to,

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Speaker 1: you know, to some of what is happening with the

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Speaker 1: flooding and and you know that maybe sometimes just social

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Speaker 1: media is being used. I mean, what do you say

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Speaker 1: to anybody out there listening this morning that's concerned that

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Speaker 1: that communication maybe hasn't been where they had hoped it

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Speaker 1: would be, or you know, to the standard that they might.

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Speaker 2: Hope Yeah, Okaytie, I can only take those people back

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Speaker 2: to our Secure and t social media sites are updated

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Speaker 2: as soon as information comes in, as well as the

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Speaker 2: Secure and Key website. There's also ABC radio were also

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Speaker 2: updated as that information.

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Speaker 1: Do you think that it should be to all the

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Speaker 1: other radio stations and the other media outlets and as well.

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Speaker 2: Yes, they're the national broadcast for Katie.

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Speaker 1: So I understand that obviously, obviously we all understand that.

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Speaker 1: But I guess the concern is that there's not enough

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Speaker 1: of that communication. So whether you know that is something

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Speaker 1: that needs to be looked at down.

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Speaker 2: The track, possibly, yes, yeah.

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Speaker 1: All right, Well, Emma Carter, the acting commander and incident controller,

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for speaking with us.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you