The South Australian government has declared a major emergency, with flooding and storm damage affecting parts of the state.
Houses have been destroyed and major freight routes cut off following high rains and storms in recent days.
The Premier Steven Marshall said the emergency declaration would last 14 days.
Mr Marshall said it will give the State Coordinator, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, additional powers to address heavy vehicle movement, food security, and other issues affecting isolated remote communities.
"It is fair to say that we are now understanding the full magnitude of the issues associated with the extreme weather here in South Australia," he said.
SA is already under a major emergency declaration for COVID-19.
Commissioner Stevens said the declaration was appropriate given the extent of the significant damage, including major disruptions to road and rail networks connecting the state to Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Widespread damage was caused by about 50 millimetres of rain falling in five hours.
SES chief officer Chris Beattie said the risk in the state's far north was not over.
"We are expecting more thunderstorms and severe weather across the weekend," he said.
Mr Beattie said 20 municipalities had reported weather damage, the most extensive on the Eyre Peninsula.
He also said repairs to the rail network could take longer than expected due to the weather forecast.
"At this stage ARTC [Australian Rail Track Corporation] are forecasting 18 days to repair the damage, however with the severe weather forecast over the next four or five days that could well be extended," he said.
The damage to freight routes has led to shortages on supermarket shelves in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, with purchase limits introduced for Territorians.
Mr Beattie said plans were underway for a heavy-vehicle route to the Northern Territory via Bourke and Mount Isa.
"Obviously that adds a couple of days' travel for that freight, but it should restore at least road transport freight into Darwin," he said.
Mr Beattie said contingency planning was also underway to deal with potential supply issues in the South Australian town of Coober Pedy, which sits on the flood-affected Stuart Highway.
