Katherine Town Braces for Second Major Flood

0:00What's up? I'm Cory with the story, and these are your headlines from Sydney News today. Residents in the outback town of Catherine are bracing for a second major flood just months after their worst in nearly 30 years back in March. The nearby Catherine River is forecast to hit major flood levels by Monday as the remnants of tropical cyclone, Narell push heavy rain their way. The system slammed into Queensland's Cape York Peninsula as a category for cyclone before crossing the Gulf of Carpentaria toward the Northern. It's weakening to a tropical low but still expected to dump enough rain to overwhelm the river late Saturday or early Sunday. Town leaders like Mayor Joanna Holden say that 10,000 residents are taking it seriously with sandbagging crews already at work since Thursday. Clean up from the first flood is on pause, and volunteers are worn out after weeks of effort facing the prospect of starting over. At places like the Pine Tree Motel, owners have halted repairs on flooded rooms to avoid more damage and bookings are way down.

1:01Everyone seems resigned, but ready to tough it out again. Meanwhile, on the Gulf Coast, defense forces evacuated nearly 150 people from the Bolwar with hundreds more to follow. The cyclone brought gusts up to 200 kilometers per hour, knocking out power and causing structural damage before downgrading as it moves west, leaving downpours in far north Queensland for another day or two. Others continue as the region watches the weather closely.