A temporary camp is being assembled on the edge of the remote Northern Territory community of Yarralin ahead of the return of almost 150 flood evacuees whose homes remain uninhabitable.
The entire population of Pigeon Hole, a community that sits about 450 kilometres south-west of Katherine, was forced to evacuate to the NT government's former COVID isolation facility in Howard Springs in March following severe flooding.
But the isolated community's unsealed roads remain inaccessible, hindering the majority of clean-up efforts and repairs promised by the NT government so far.
The NT government initially said all flood evacuees housed in Howard Springs would be repatriated by April 26, and has also faced critical staffing issues at the facility since the evacuations.
Martin Schahinger, chief executive of the Walangeri Aboriginal Corporation in Yarralin, said the NT government began considering setting up a temporary camp in the town last week.
The captain of the NSW Rural Fire Service, which has been operating a camp at Glen Inness, was flown to Yarralin to assist with the operation, Mr Schahinger said.
Mr Schahinger said work had begun on erecting at least 15 large, 12-person, air-conditioned tents on the town's oval, where he expected residents of Pigeon Hole would be living for up to three months.
"There'll be some extra tents for kitchen catering, a mess hall, that sort of thing," he said.
"There are ablution blocks, [and the government is] bringing in generators for power."
Mr Schahinger said there was some concern about tensions arising in a temporary camp after "bringing quite a significant number of people into a small community".
"There's been some discussion about whether we may need a private security firm, but I think we're confident the night patrol and the local police with an extra officer will be sufficient," he said.
Victoria Daly River Council mayor Brian Pedwell said Pigeon Hole residents were expected to leave Howard Springs in the coming days.
"Bringing Pigeon Hole residents back closer to their community can only be seen as a positive," he said.
"The devastation and impact of the floods these past few months has been heart wrenching. Countrymen and women have had to watch their homes and all of their sentimental possessions wash away.
"On top of that, they have dealt with the anxiety of not knowing when they can return home."
'Pods' to be built in communities
In the flood impacted communities of Kalkarindji and Daguragu, where more than a dozen homes require major repairs or complete replacement, 16 demountable "pods" were being installed, federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt confirmed.
Each pod, costing approximately $400,000, is being co-funded by the federal and NT governments and will contain lockable bedrooms and shared living, cooking and laundry space.
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the demountables could be reused as required in future emergency events.
Relocation opportunity ignored
In March, Mr Pedwell said he had been warning the NT government about the flood risks to homes in Pigeon Hole for nearly two decades.
Mr Schahinger said calls for the town to be relocated away from the flood zone were not being heard.
"There's been some conversations around, 'why are we rebuilding the town where it is, we know [flooding] is the problem, this is the opportunity to relocate it and put it in the proper spot'," he said.
"[The government] is potentially having to rebuild a clinic, rebuild a school, rebuild a shop, because that's all gone underwater, and from what I've heard, has been destroyed.
"If you're doing that sort of thing, then now is the perfect opportunity to actually relocate the town."
The NT government has said community members had expressed a preference to stay in the current location following consultations.
