The top end town of Timber Creek and its surrounding communities are slowly getting back to normal after record-breaking flooding on the Victoria River. The NT government insists it has provided the appropriate support through joint disaster arrangements with the commonwealth. But on the ground, many feel the response has been patchy – and are calling for more help in the coming weeks.
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00:00 While Timber Creek's homes stayed mostly dry, the record floodwaters have taken a toll.
00:07 We've literally lost about 90% of our fencing and therefore our livestock is obviously everywhere and all unaccounted for at this stage.
00:15 Rainy Holcomb's stock are wandering on the Victoria Highway, a vital transport link that was until recently closed in both directions.
00:23 We need funding to help us rebuild the fences, to help assist with labour, to pay for helicopter hours, to assist with the mustering.
00:33 So that's all something that we need immediately.
00:36 With the town isolated, Rainy and her husband chartered a helicopter to buy groceries for her neighbours, a step she says she shouldn't have had to take.
00:44 I'm pretty disgusted with the lack of support that the government has offered in regards to safe food supplies in general.
00:50 To the east at the Victoria River Roadhouse, floodwaters have uprooted buildings and created dangerous sinkholes.
00:57 I've got gravel on its way from Timber Creek now, put in there in case someone falls in it, you know, it's a bloody nightmare isn't it?
01:04 Owner Milton Jones says inadequate drainage under the Victoria Highway is partly to blame for the damage.
01:11 So the water couldn't get away and it's run down that way.
01:14 As the recovery begins, attention is now turning to the adequacy of the government's response.
01:19 One-off hardship payments have been made available to flooded communities along the Victoria River,
01:24 but they've largely been restricted to people who were evacuated, prompting questions about fairness for the people who were left behind.
01:32 I was calling, calling and calling, but nobody was listening.
01:37 And the food that came was only just for half the community, the rest of the half had to miss out.
01:43 In the Indigenous community of Buller, half an hour west of Timber Creek, these local teachers say a supply drop of food and power cards was so inadequate,
01:52 the neighbouring cattle station stepped in with a donation of fresh beef.
01:56 But how were they going to keep the meat without the power?
02:00 The NT Emergencies Minister dismissed these concerns.
02:03 No one was left starving and as needed we'd fly food out there.
02:06 But if they had listened to people who were feeding information up, I'm sure half of the problems wouldn't have occurred.
02:12 A community pleading for better listening.
02:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]