A man walked 40km in a remote region of the Northern Territory to seek help after he and seven others were stranded in their car by floodwaters.
Heavy rains across the territory have flooded many roads, cutting off communities and closing national parks, and there is a chance of a tropical cyclone by the end of the week.
The stranded group, which included a pregnant woman and a two-year-old child, were travelling near Timber Creek, 300km south-west of Katherine, when the vehicle became bogged. A 59-year-old man left to seek help, flagging down a police car 40km away on the Victoria highway.
A police helicopter was sent to rescue the group and take them to Timber Creek.
“Although the party had plenty of water, food was going to be an issue,” Supt Stephen Heyworth said.
“Rainfall has affected many access roads to communities, with water up to two metres over some roads. If you have to travel make sure you have plenty of food and water and be prepared to wait until floodwaters subside before attempting to cross.
“If you are unsure, do not attempt to cross a flooded roadway.”
Also in Timber Creek, a 38-week-pregnant woman was evacuated by a CareFlight helicopter because the airport was flooded and authorities feared she would go into labour over the holiday period. The woman was flown to Katherine hospital.
A spokesman for Careflight Australia, Mark Lever, said about 40 remote communities had problems with access during the wet season, and CareFlight was often asked to airlift people out.
“I wouldn’t say it happens daily but it happens regularly, about two or three times a week,” Lever told Guardian Australia.
The helicopter had to dodge thunderstorms on the flight to Timber Creek, but Lever said that was “all part of the job”.
“There was one job we did during cyclone Nathan last year … It was a similar scenario: a pregnant woman in labour and we had to get her out of Gove [back to Darwin], but the cyclone was between Gove and Darwin so it was an interesting flight path,” he said.
“They broke some sort of speed record on the way back because of the tailwinds, so the pilot was happy about that.”
On Monday NT police were called to recover a vehicle lost in floodwaters near Santa Teresa, south-east of Alice Springs.
The Toyota troop carrier was washed off the road, which was under about one metre of water.
“The driver of the vehicle was from overseas and did not speak English well, so communication was conducted with the translation application on the police iPad,” said Snr Sgt Michael Potts.
“In this instance the driver of the vehicle managed to escape unharmed, but it might not be the case next time. Do not become a statistic this wet season, and follow these commonsense guidelines when it comes to floodwaters.”
He said floodwaters just 30cm deep could sweep a person off their feet.
Tourists and rangers were also stranded in the West Macdonnell national park, after floodwaters cut off the road at the Ormiston Gorge. About 190mm had fallen in the area since Monday, the ABC reported.
Finke Gorge national park was closed after floodwaters rose a metre above the road, Parks and Wildlife said on Wednesday.
The likelihood of a cyclone forming this week has decreased. A tropical low over the western Carpentaria district was expected to move towards the Gulf of Carpentaria on Christmas Day, with an “ongoing chance” it would develop into a tropical cyclone, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
