Northern Territory Police are reminding people of the dangers of attempting to drive in flooded areas.
Yesterday, a concerted rescue operation was launched when a family failed to arrive in Lajamanu. The family of five, including two small children, had left Yuendumu on the morning of 30 January with the intention of travelling to Lajamanu. They were reported as overdue yesterday morning.
A search and rescue operation commenced, with officers from Lajamanu and Yuendumu tasked with conducting ground patrols of the Tanami Highway and Lajamanu Road, a distance of over 580km by unsealed road.
Search and rescue response coordinator, Acting Sergeant Chris Raeburn said, "There has been extensive heavy rainfall in the region in recent days. There has been localised flooding; tracks are boggy and attempting to drive in these treacherous conditions is very dangerous.
"Lajamanu members located the stranded party last night about 150km northwest of Yuendumu.
"They were safe and unharmed but were not adequately provisioned. Police provided them with food and water before making the decision to transport them to Lajamanu in the police vehicle, as the road back to Yuendumu was impassable.
"In all, the Lajamanu members drove around 1000km, mostly through mud, to search for and bring this family back to safety."
Assistant Commissioner Martin Dole said, "This response really shows the dedication of our members to serving and protecting the community. Remote Sergeant David Van Der Merwe and his team literally went to great lengths to ensure the safety of his community members.
"I also wish to thank the teams at the Tanami and Granites mines and local station staff for their assistance in providing our members with additional fuel during this operation.
"Since the rains began, the Bureau of Meteorology and the police have put out repeated warnings about dangerous conditions in the region. We have also had to divert resources to undertake multiple search and rescue operations to retrieve motorists who ignored the advice and subsequently found themselves stranded. We were lucky this time, but that's not always the case.
"Earlier this week we sadly lost a man who entered floodwaters near Tennant Creek. We don't want to lose anyone else. Remember, if it's flooded, forget it."
