Northern Territory's Police Commissioner is not ruling out an emergency response to dwindling supplies in Alice Springs as rail and road links remain closed due to floodwaters in South Australia's far north.
Days after a KFC closed after running out of chicken meat, things are getting "pretty dire" in the Alice, according to the CEO of a local Aboriginal corporation.
Supermarket shelves are increasingly bare and a local McDonald's is out of chicken nuggets and able to offer only a limited menu.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker today said an emergency response, including a potential appeal to the federal government, was on the table.
"If ... all the advice from the current commercial suppliers is they cannot maintain supply then we'll take adequate steps, and that'll be a very quick and swift response," he said.
"I hasten to add, be very reassured that there are significant supplies currently held in the Northern Territory. It's just some of the highly valued perishables that we're a bit light on at the moment.
"We've currently got an eye on the Barkly. There are [further] weather events that are coming through there.
Mr Chalker said he would look at alternative options if Queensland was also cut off from the Northern Territory.
Landsborough Highway cut
Truck driver Dave Kent was en route to the Northern Territory when he was forced to detour more than 1,600 kilometres through Queensland to get supplies to supermarkets.
He was today parked on the side of the Landsborough Highway near Longreach waiting for flooding near Winton to subside.
"I'm carting dry goods which is pretty good because it will last a while, but you don't want it to be in the back too long.
"I've been on the road quite a while now so hopefully two more days and I'll get up there."
Logistical nightmare
South Australian trucking operator and chair of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) David Smith said the situation facing the industry bordered on "a logistical nightmare".
"What's aggravated it too is that the rail has been washed out, and that could be three to four weeks at least until that's up and running again," he said.
The ATA is in high-level talks with governments to temporarily allow road trains to haul three carriages between Burra and Burke, instead of the current regulation of two, to get more food supplied into the Northern Territory.
Mr Smith said trucks that were going through Queensland while the Stuart Highway was closed will be en route to Alice Springs as well as Darwin, but the detour through Queensland was very inefficient.
"The further south you go the less economical it is," he said.
"There's shortages everywhere, but in terms of Alice Springs being serviced from Adelaide, it will be [eventually].
"The best I can offer is that people are going to [have to] be a bit patient because nobody can do any more than what they're doing now."
Mr Smith said if flooded roads in Queensland reopen there will be even more trucks using that route until the Stuart Highway reopens.
Bare shelves
Lhere Artepe Enterprises CEO Sally McMartin said the situation was "pretty dire", with the town's network of independent supermarkets also struggling for stock.
She said the stores were waiting on a truckload of produce that had taken a 3,000-kilometre detour through Queensland.
However, that truckload has been stopped in Winton amid flooding in western Queensland.
She said the three local stores had all but run out of meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, and stocks of frozen vegetables were also very low.
Ms McMartin said she was "shocked at the lack of response" from the Northern Territory government.
12-17 days for rail repair
Anthony Meere from Australian Rail Track Corporation said it was likely to be another fortnight until damaged rail lines to Western Australia and the Northern Territory could be repaired.
"Our crews have been on the ground since this weather event commenced last week fixing damaged track, and we are working around the clock to be able to fix those sites," he said.
"Our estimated time at this stage is anywhere between 12 and 17 days to be able to get freight services back up and running."
