00:02Nearly three weeks after it was vacated, locals in the tiny town of Batchelor have been left
00:07with as many questions about this evacuation centre as they had the day it arrived.
00:11The whole town was shocked, all those people down that street. For 47 days we listened
00:18to a screaming generator, as did these poor people.
00:21The centre was set up quickly in March, when historic flooding in the Catherine region
00:26displaced the entire population of remote Palumpa, adding hundreds more to a population of 400.
00:32Don't even ask us. If they had to ask us, people in the community could have shown them a better
00:37place.
00:39This wasn't thought about, this is just a stupid decision they made.
00:42Residents weren't the only ones surprised. The Kamali Council president, saying local police
00:47and health authorities also seemed unaware of the plans.
00:50By and large people weren't happy with it, they were unhappy with the lack of consultation,
00:55they were unhappy with the establishment of that facility there.
01:00He says while the hundreds of evacuees were warmly welcomed, the town and its limited resources
01:05were a poor fit for such a large influx of people.
01:09Very anxious to see that facility get relocated to somewhere permanent where it will be ongoing use.
01:17The Northern Territory government did not say when the site would be dismantled,
01:20or what the plans are for future floods. A spokesperson saying the government is
01:25considering next steps and how to house what some have called climate refugees.
01:30The wait continues in Batchelor to see if this temporary fix becomes a permanent fixture.
01:35fiscal year?",
01:36memo
01:360034
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