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Flood resources – WA/NT
Unprecedented flooding in Western Australia and the Northern Territory in January 2023 has left dozens of communities isolated, with many northern beef producers still unable to check the extent of the damage on their properties.
MLA has compiled a list of key contacts and resources to support WA and NT producers in their emergency response and recovery efforts.
Alert services
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WA Emergency Warnings
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See current emergency warnings in WA |
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NT Emergency Warnings |
See current emergency warnings in NT |
Key contacts
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WA SES |
For SES assistance |
132 500 |
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Bureau Of Meteorology |
Latest flood information |
1300 659 210 |
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WA DFES |
Flood information updates |
13 33 37 |
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Main Roads WA |
Information on road closures and access |
138 138 |
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Insurance Council of Australia |
Assistance if insurance details are lost or unavailable |
1300 728 228 |
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Emergency Animal Disease hotline |
Report a suspected outbreak of pests or disease |
1800 675 888 |
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Lifeline Australia |
24-hour mental health support for people experiencing distress |
13 44 14 |
Dealing with flood – farm and livestock management resources
- Water quality for livestock (WA DPRID)
- Animal health after a flood (Queensland DAF)
- Farm biosecurity after flood (WA DPIRD)
- Reducing stock after a disaster (Business Queensland)
- Personal wellbeing, recovery and accommodation after flood (WA DFES)
Dealing with flood – financial and other assistance
- WA: Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements have been announced for disaster-declared areas impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie from December 2022, including for personal hardship assistance, counselling, counter disaster operations, interest rate subsidies and freight subsidies for primary producers. Find out more at Disaster Assist.
- NT: Financial help is available to people impacted by natural disasters. Find out more at SecureNT.
Flood recovery
Animal health
- Recent rain may cause an increase in flies. Flystrike, particularly body-strike, can be caused by wet wool and dermatitis and after a flood sheep should be monitored daily.
- Cattle ticks thrive in warm and humid conditions, which can lead to tick fever after floods or major rain events in Northern Australia.
- Floods provide ideal conditions for several species of gastrointestinal worms to flourish. Effective worm control is needed to reduce parasite burdens in both sheep and cattle. Use worm testing tools such as worm egg counts (WEC), larval cultures or the Haemonchus dipstick to develop targeted drenching and grazing programs.
- Clostridial diseases, such as blackleg and pulpy kidney can increase due to bacteria commonly found in contaminated water and soil. Ensure all livestock vaccinations are up-to-date.
- Investigate sheep lameness, as virulent footrot often occurs in wet and warm conditions.
- Watch for symptoms of three day sickness and Akabane as populations of biting insects such as mosquitoes increases.
Additional considerations are outlined in this livestock diseases following floods factsheet (Qld Govt).
To ensure animal health and welfare after a flood:
- Keep livestock away from areas that have been spoilt with floodwater from stockyards or other areas that had a high build-up of manure and urine.
- Monitor lactating cows and ewes as environmental mastitis is caused by mud and bacteria.
- Inspect hay and grain for water damage or toxic mould growth as pasteurellosis, salmonellosis and botulism are bacterial diseases caused by ingesting contaminated feed or water that may become more prevalent after a flood.
- Implement a weed control program and restrict livestock from areas where toxic plants may be present.
- If livestock show signs of ill-thrift or illness, seek immediate advice from veterinarians or DPI animal health officers.
- If it is necessary to humanely kill livestock to prevent suffering, follow this guide from Business Queensland: Humane killing of injured livestock
- Check fences and ensure they are stock-proof to enable biosecurity to be managed and protected.
