Northern Land Council criticises evacuations of flood-hit Borroloola by NT, federal governments
The ADF conducted evacuation flights out of Borroloola last Wednesday and Thursday. (Supplied: Department of Defence/ Sergeant Andrew Eddie)
The Northern Land Council (NLC) has strongly criticised the Northern Territory government for what it has described as the "horror" evacuation of Borroloola residents following the arrival of severe Tropical Cyclone Megan.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) airlifted 380 Borroloola residents to Darwin over Wednesday and Thursday last week after heavy rains brought widespread flooding to the area.
It came after the NT government suspended an initial plan to evacuate Borroloola days earlier as then Tropical Cyclone Megan approached the coast.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the NLC, which represents traditional owners from the region, said "poor communication" and "inadequate" planning from the NT and federal governments had left residents in the remote Gulf community stranded and confused.
Residents leaving Borroloola boarding their flight to Darwin on Wednesday night. (Supplied: Department of Defence/ Sergeant Andrew Eddie)
NLC chair Matthew Ryan said he had met with evacuees in Darwin over the weekend who "shared their distress about how the situation unfolded".
"The federal and NT governments' emergency response support has been appalling," he said in a statement.
"Lessons are not being learned and as a result our communities continue to suffer."
Flooding in Borroloola seen through the window of an ADF aircraft. (Supplied: Department of Defence/ Sergeant Andrew Eddie)
'Instructions were unclear'
The initial plan to evacuate Borroloola last Monday was suspended hours before then severe Tropical Cyclone Megan crossed the NT coast, with some residents expressing concern at the time.
Hundreds of residents were then urged to find shelter in cyclone-rated homes and warned they should not attempt to leave.
But the NLC said its staff were already fielding "alarmed calls" from Borroloola residents in the days before the cyclone made landfall, saying locals were reporting severe impacts from flooding and difficulties in reaching emergency services.
Deteriorating weather conditions forced the suspension of initial evacuation flights from Borroloola. (Supplied: Annie Taylor)
The NLC said its staff had talked to several Borroloola residents who believed the evacuations should have taken place earlier and were mismanaged.
"[They also said] the instructions they received were unclear, leading many to leave their homes, be exposed to the dangerous weather, and in cases even become stranded in unsuitable shelters," the NLC statement said.
Three days later, another evacuation took place after authorities tipped a "one-in-100-year flood" would hit the community.
"Residents shared being herded without clarity and left waiting in the pouring rain and cold, with one man having a seizure," the NLC said.
"When attempting to board the Australian Defence Force aircraft to get out of the wild weather, they recalled being unnecessarily stopped and asked to produce personal identification."
The NT government has not specified how many homes in Borroloola have been impacted by the flooding. (Supplied: NLC)
Borroloola resident John Pluto Sr said community elders were forced to wait hours in wet clothing and without food while ADF planes circled above, unable to land.
"They knew the cyclone was up the top there, sitting, and they should evacuate us before ... the last minute," he said.
William Charlie, a resident from the Yanula Camp in Borroloola, said a breakdown of communication contributed to confusion and frustration on the ground.
"That was the main thing … the lack of communication. If everyone was told what, how, when, where, you know, it probably wouldn't have mattered so much," Mr Charlie said.
"That in itself creates a lot of confusion, frustration and anger."
Mr Charlie said many evacuees were still struggling to communicate with family back home.
"The not knowing, what's happening to them? Are they well? Did their house fall down? Did a tree fall on it?"
Roads near Borroloola have been damaged by floodwater. (Supplied: NLC)
Evacuees anxiously wait for updates
Evacuees staying in emergency accommodation at the Foskey Pavilion in Darwin told the ABC they were still unsure when they would be able to return home.
"We thought it was going to come right up to the house because it was a big flood and rain and wind too, cyclone wind," said Mavis Timothy, an elder from Borroloola who has been staying in the evacuation centre since Thursday.
Borroloola residents used boats to travel within the community following the impact of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Megan. (Supplied: Asman Rory)
She said conditions at the evacuation centre were good, but many residents were eager to return home.
"We don't know when we're going back home … we want to go back soon," she said.
The NLC said residents at the evacuation centre had expressed "levels of discomfort with the overcrowding, open-plan nature of the facility, and refusals to permit relatives to visit to provide support".
"Despite this, countless community members praised the staff for the care they have shown," the NLC said.
"Across community there is also a strong desire to come together and find a better way forward, to prevent so much distress from occurring again."
The remote community of Borroloola is home to about 870 residents. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)
NT Police Superintendent and Incident Controller Sonia Kennon told ABC Radio Darwin on Tuesday that damage assessment crews had been in Borroloola surveying homes and critical infrastructure, as well as removing debris and fallen trees.
She said six properties had suffered damage to their electrical systems and would need to be assessed before the power could be turned on.
The NT government has not specified how many homes in Borroloola have been impacted by the flooding.
Superintendent Kennon said authorities were hoping the evacuees could return home in time for Easter
"We need to ensure that there's good food supplies in there and that their houses are habitable and safe," she said.
Better planning needed, NLC says
In the wake of the flooding in Borroloola, the NLC has called on the NT and federal governments to improve emergency response systems for the territory as well as telecommunication and evacuation infrastructure.
"The big one is communication in times of emergency," Mr Ryan said.
"Evacuee accommodation also needs to be more culturally appropriate, and better processes as well as proper cyclone shelters must be prepared for the future."
Matthew Ryan says the emergency response was inadequate. (Supplied: Northern Land Council)
On Tuesday, NT government frontbencher Mark Monaghan said authorities had done their best under unpredictable circumstances.
He also strongly rejected the NLC's characterisation of traditional owners' experience during the emergency response as a "horror".
"The bottom line is, if no one dies in these spaces, how could you describe it as a 'horror'?," he said.
"We evacuated people into safe places, we made sure they were fed … the key is keep people safe and that's what we did."
Mr Ryan responded to Mr Monaghan's comments, labelling them "unacceptable" and "offensive".
"It will happen eventually," Mr Ryan told the ABC.
"We need to be proactive, not reactive."