In some of the most remote parts of Australia, not having access to fresh produce or not having your mail delivered for weeks at a time can be a normal part of life.
Key points:
- A number of remote communities are struggling with food supply due to cut-off roads
- One store manager says they are getting limited government support as they have not been declared officially flood-affected
- The federal Emergency Minister says "emergency discussions" are underway to restock impacted communities
But the often dirt roads which lead to a number of the territory's remote communities have now been cut off for months because of heavy rain from ex-cyclone Ellie late last year.
The community of Alpurrurulam — near the Queensland border — is one such community, according to the managers of the only local store, Christy Lorenz and Evan Dent.
"We had a very heavy rainfall on December 23, and that essentially brought the river up so it was impassable, and it closed off the Sandover Highway," Ms Lorenz said.
"And that's been the state of being able to get into the community or out of the community since."
They said their usual wet season stock, which is 14 weeks' supply for the community of about 400, is starting to dwindle.
And because Alpurrurulam has not been officially deemed flood-affected by the NT government, the pair said they have been struggling to get support.
"There is no one to ring up and say, 'Hey, I need some help, what we can do'," Mr Dent said.
"There's just an answer of, 'Oh, you need help; you don't fit the category of needing help'.
"If running out of food doesn't fit into that category, I don't know what does."
Lajamanu continues to struggle with food supply
The community of Lajamanu, about 550km south-west of Katherine, has also been running low on food due to a longer-than-usual period in isolation.
Unlike communities of Kalkarandji, Daguragu, and Pigeon Hole in the same region, Lajamanu is not currently subject to an emergency declaration, despite heavy flood damage to unsealed roads in the community.
Although it has been getting "trickles" of food deliveries via air, Central Desert Regional Council worker Jean Veillemain said regular deliveries would not recommence until the end of the month at the earliest.
"Generally, by the end of the week, we're sort of running a bit low on things like vegetables, fresh fruit, bread et cetera," he said.
"The trucks won't be coming to Lajamanu until at least the 27th [of March]. That will be the earliest date if the roads are ready.
"Last week, we didn't have any bread at all ... people were concerned about it."
Mr Veillemain said postal deliveries had also been "minimal".
"The light planes that come in the service all the communities around the area, so they divide up what mail they're going to send to each to each community.
"A lot of people saying ... that they're expecting mail and they've parcels and whatever. And we've just got to apologise and say, 'Look sorry, but the roads are blocked'," he said.
An NT government spokesperson said they were working on facilitating deliveries with high-clearance 4WDs.
Emergency 'discussions' underway
During a visit to Darwin this week, federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said he had been made aware of the supply issues in communities like Alpurrurulam and Lajamanu by Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
"We have arranged for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to have some discussions very urgently with the Northern Territory government and those local communities and some of the back store groups that you're talking about," he said.
NEMA's Coordinator-General Brendan Moon said the organisation was working with the Northern Territory government on helping flood-impacted communities resupply.
However, he said it was being done on a "prioritised basis".