An elderly woman nearly drowned in floodwaters after being washed off a bridge as ex-tropical cyclone Ellie ravages northern Australia.
The small town of Timber Creek in the Northern Territory, home to just 278 people, has been cut off by flooding once every 50 years.
The cyclone swept across the area on Christmas Eve, flooding the town on the banks of the crocodile-infested Victoria River and cutting it off via road.
Helicopters and planes were also unable to land due to high winds and heavy rainfall.
Homes have been destroyed in a small inland town stranded by a once-in-a-50-year flood from ex-cyclone Ellie, while an elderly resident is washed off a bridge
The cyclone swept across normally bone-dry Timber Creek, home to just 278 people, on Christmas Eve, flooding the town on the banks of the crocodile-infested Victoria River and cutting it off through the road
Photos showed local houses and cars, the only hotel and racecourse in the normally dry town, 600 km southwest of Darwin, underwater.
According to reports, several people in Timber Creek had to be rescued by local emergency services, including a 74-year-old woman who was washed off a bridge, the NT News reported.
Police rescued the woman and she was eventually taken to Katherine District Hospital. Katherine, 300 km away, is the nearest large town.
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles announced that emergency services have been given special powers to deal with a “sudden and intense” flood at Timber Creek.
The Timber Creek Hotel posted a viral video on Dec. 23, showing floodwaters engulfing the forecourt after it was forced to close.
Hundreds of city residents spent Friday night on the city’s basketball court as their homes flooded.
The Timber Creek Hotel posted a viral video on Dec. 23, showing the forecourt being overwhelmed by flooding after it was forced to close
Northern Territory First Minister Natasha Fyles announced that emergency services have been given special powers to deal with a ‘sudden and intense’ flood at Timber Creek
Timber Creek Racecourse was also flooded on Friday as the storm battered the small community and cut off the road
Victoria Daly Regional Council Mayor Brian Pedwell said some of his own relatives had been cut off from the town after traveling to do some Christmas shopping and when they tried to return, they found the highway was flooded.
He was “stunned” by the amount of water on the road.
The Victoria Highway was closed between Timber Creek and the Western Australian border.
The weather bureau warned anyone traveling in the region to check road conditions before leaving.
It warned that ‘roads, including major highways, could become impassable. Some communities and farms may become isolated.”
Cyclone Ellie was downgraded Friday afternoon but is still expected to produce damaging weather with isolated rainfall of up to 400mm and wind gusts of up to 90km/h in places.
“Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie will slowly move across the southwestern Barkly District Sunday through Tuesday,” the Bureau of Meteorology announced,
Then on Wednesday, pass through the Tanami district and bring heavy rains over the flood control area.
“Multiple roads and major highways in various parts of NT, including the Victoria, Buntine, Barkly and Sturt Freeways, have and could be affected by the perceived heavy rainfall.
“Widespread heavy rainfall with isolated severe thunderstorms is expected in central parts of the Territory over the next few days.”
The town’s mayor admitted that some of his own family were prevented from returning after roads were closed due to flooding while doing Christmas shopping hundreds of miles away.
According to reports, several people in Timber Creek had to be rescued by local emergency services, including a 74-year-old woman who was washed off a bridge. Pictured is the Timber Creek Hotel in 2020
Tanami, Gregory and Carpentaria could receive up to 120mm of rain, with 160mm possible, with flash floods also possible.
Tennant Creek, Elliott, Kalkarindji, Lajamanu, Ali Curung and Top Springs can also handle severe weather, the BoM said.
On the Timber Creek Hotel’s social media channels, some followers who had visited it expressed concern about the whereabouts of crocodiles living in the now-swollen Victoria River.
One of the hotel’s attractions is crocodile feeding three times a week at 5pm.
In 2019, the area’s parks and wildlife service relocated a 15-foot crocodile from the river.
In 2020, a local fisherman caught more than he bargained for when a huge saltwater crocodile grabbed hold of his line.
The post Timber Creek cut off by ‘once in 50 years’ flooding as Tropical Cyclone Ellie ravages Northern Territory appeared first on WhatsNew2Day.