'SEND HELP': Shocking pics of Aussie town running out of food

Supermarket shelves have been left bare after rain has cut remote Australian communities off from vital supply chains, leaving some begging for help.

As parts of South Australia were inundated with rain, rail infrastructure was damaged and food supply systems were cut off to the Northern Territory, Western Australia and remote towns including Coober Pedy.

The Stuart Highway, the main link between Adelaide and Darwin, has been submerged in some parts, rerouting road trains transporting groceries to towns like Coober Pedy.

Northern Territory-based ABC Radio presenter Liz Trevaskis highlighted just how dire the situation was in Darwin, by sharing photos of completely bare shelves at local supermarkets, saying people feel "forgotten".

"Hey Twitter... um... send help? We are out [of] food in NT, due to major flooding in SA (and now also QLD) cutting off road and washing out rail," Ms Trevaskis wrote on Sunday.

"It's not getting a lot of media coverage. Please share. We feel a little forgotten up here..."

In a follow-up tweet, she explained the pictures were taken at Coolalinga shops, just southeast of Darwin.

"It's the same picture at all major supermarkets across the Territory," she said.

"The independent grocers had supplies yesterday, but were incredibly busy as they became the option for fresh fruit and veg."

Another local shared pictures on social media of an empty grocery store in the Territory on Friday, and in an update on Saturday said there was just avocados and bananas left at their local Woolworths.

"Update: local Woollies today - no bread, only bananas and avocados in fruit & veg, no meat or chicken, frozen food shelves practically empty, no milk, not much cheese, tinned food thinning out," they wrote.

"I feel for those who shop day to day & can’t afford the luxury of a full freezer."

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said on Sunday he was hopeful the food supply in the territory would be restored within the week.

Due to an alternate route for supplies coming through NSW and Queensland, he said, stock should begin to "trickle" back into stores by Wednesday.

On Friday, Yahoo News Australia reported that an Alice Springs resident compared the lack of food on the shelves to the pandemic panic-buying, saying it is “worse than Covid”.

“The joys of country life, and having the main road and train tracks washed away by the flood,” one woman said on Instagram alongside pictures of the town’s empty Woolworths store.

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Supplies delivered to rural SA, with more rain to come

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall warned on Sunday morning that the northern half of the state could expect up to 200mm of rainfall in some areas over the next few days.

The Australian Defence Force is set to deliver 20 tonnes of food and supplies to Coober Pedy in where grocery shipment routes have been affected by floodwater.

The first flight into Coober Pedy is expected to leave the Edinburgh base on Monday morning.

"We are very grateful to our friends in the Australian Defence Force who have been helping South Australia, first with the bushfires of course, then with our response to coronavirus and now with these extreme weather events," Mr Marshall said.

"In addition, a new heavy vehicle route has been secured for access to the Northern Territory through New South Wales, Queensland and into Darwin."

The premier said several motorists had ignored road closures overnight and he urged truck drivers to stay away from floodwaters.

On Saturday, the Federal Emergency Management Minister promised no one would go without food.

"Our first concern is for the safety and needs of those directly affected and we know that through working together we can keep the wheels turning and restore supply chains across the country," Bridget McKenzie said.

The disruption to the supply chains is the biggest in Western Australia in "living memory", Richard Forbes from Independent Food Distributors of Australia told the ABC.

"This is a very serious situation. Thousands of tonnes of food are transported every day from the eastern states to the west."

He said the damage to infrastructure meant 6,500 venues serviced by IFDA, including nursing homes, cafes and restaurants, were immediately going without food.

with AAP

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