The most disappointing aspects of the draft report to date have nothing to do with the 16 broad recommendations outlined in its 23 pages.

During the initial consultation phase earlier this year, only three submissions were presented to the committee.

On Thursday night, the four Katherinites who turned up to witness the unveiling of the draft report were outnumbered almost three to one by those who have spent the past three months piecing it together.

For a community that has been screaming for flood mitigation for decades, the level of engagement it has demonstrated now funding has been made available is embarrassing.

Unfortunately, apathy has no ability to minimise the effect of murky floodwater on our town.

With the draft report now open for public comment until June 11, two early question marks are hovering over Katherine’s flood mitigation solution.

The first is whether $12.9m is enough to build the infrastructure required to safeguard the town and, if the figure falls short, whether Chief Minister Adam Giles intends to honour the commitment he made to the community in November when he said “if it costs a little bit less or a little bit more, we’ll do that”.

The second unknown centres around how many residents will stop sitting on their hands over the next 23 days and get actively involved with the plan that is designed to protect their way of life the next time the Katherine River truly becomes enraged.