A long-time resident of Daly River\/Nauiyu has expressed optimism regarding the potential relocation of the community, following a commitment from the Catholic Church to provide land for this purpose.<\/p>\n
Last month, Daly River\/Nauiyu experienced its most severe flooding since 1998, resulting in approximately 350 residents seeking refuge in nearby Batchelor.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Northern Territory Government stated that teams are currently assessing the flood damage in Nauiyu, and emphasized that any decision about relocation will depend on input from the community.<\/p>\n
Residents affected by the floods from this remote Aboriginal community are engaged in discussions with the NT government concerning the possibility of moving Daly River to a more elevated location, with the church offering to allocate land for the new township.<\/p>\n
This marks the second evacuation for many Nauiyu residents in just over a month; they were previously displaced due to significant flooding in March.<\/p>\n
So far this year, around 350 individuals from the community have been residing in evacuation centers, initially in Darwin and now about 140 kilometers north of their home along the inundated Daly River.<\/p>\n
Local councilor Andy McTaggart, who has lived in the area for over five decades, shared with ABC that he chose not to evacuate but instead moved to higher ground. He mentioned that he had discussed potential relocation sites with representatives from the NT government’s flood recovery team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a couple of discussions, including one about a relocation center that could also serve as an evacuation site,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Mr. McTaggart mentioned conversations about establishing a workers’ camp for those involved in recovery efforts.<\/p>\n
Bishop Charles Gauci of Darwin stated that the Catholic Church is prepared to donate land it acquired to set up a mission in 1955. \u201cIf the community decides to relocate to higher ground and chooses to use our land, I would be more than willing to offer it,\u201d he remarked. \u201cThe key factor is that the townspeople reach a consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that while some residents may wish to relocate, others might prefer to stay, highlighting the need for negotiations to find a satisfactory balance. \u201cOur land is one possibility, government land is another, and a combination of both is also an option,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Plans for the relocation site are still in preliminary stages. The NT government recently unveiled a $100 million flood recovery fund, and Mr. McTaggart has requested that a portion of this funding be allocated to develop a plan for gradually moving Nauiyu to land located about five kilometers away. \u201cThis could involve establishing an evacuation center, relocating the school, and initiating a subdivision for new housing,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
He also stated that he and other community members would continue to advocate for the advancement of these plans. The NT government spokesperson confirmed that teams are actively on-site in Nauiyu to evaluate the flood damage and begin formulating a recovery strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that there is significant community interest in relocating the township to higher ground,\u201d they stated. \u201cThis will be carefully considered during the town planning process. Our immediate priority is assessing the damage and restoring vital services. Efforts are underway to identify a suitable location for a workers’ camp to expedite recovery operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson noted that a specific parcel of land, which Mr. McTaggart has identified, has not yet been finalized as the potential relocation site. The flooding in Nauiyu\/Daly River, situated about 220 kilometers southwest of Darwin, has been the most severe in the area’s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cResidents and stakeholders will play a crucial role in shaping the town plan as this process unfolds, with engagement set to begin as soon as possible,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n
Mr. McTaggart remarked that numerous proposals for a Daly River evacuation center have been dismissed after multiple flooding incidents since the major floods of 1998. \u201cThis is the furthest we’ve come in over 30 years of advocating for change,\u201d he stated. \u201cIn the past, we didn\u2019t receive any feedback. At least this time, we have had responses and discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1998, Australian Defence Force personnel were deployed to Daly River to assist the community in recovering from the devastating weather event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A long-time resident of Daly River\/Nauiyu has expressed optimism regarding the potential relocation of the community, following a commitment from the Catholic Church to provide land for this purpose. Last month, Daly River\/Nauiyu experienced its most severe flooding since 1998, resulting in approximately 350 residents seeking refuge in nearby Batchelor. A spokesperson for the Northern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5534,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43,337,1349,1351,490,1350,379,869,404,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-au-community-organisations","category-au-disaster-reconstruction","category-au-emergency-evacuation","category-au-floods","category-au-land-management","category-au-local-government","category-au-regional-development-and-planning","category-au-rural-and-remote-communities","category-au-state-and-territory-government"],"yoast_head":"\n