More evacuees from TC Trevor are expected to arrive in Katherine today.
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The primary location for accommodation is the Katherine Showgrounds although the CDU's rural campus may also form part of the emergency arrangements.
Between 300-400 residents of the gulf region, chiefly from Numbulwar, are expected to call Katherine home for the next few days and maybe longer.
At this stage, TC Trevor is expected to make landfall as a category four system about noon tomorrow, immediately south of Borroloola.
The cyclone is currently moving southwest at 12kmh.
Katherine recorded between 10-20mm of rain last night, the first decent rain for many days in a disappointing wet season.
Evacuations are continuing in Borroloola and Numbulwar, including Port McArthur, McArthur River Mine, Cape Crawford and Port Roper.
Shelters in Ngukurr will be opening today.
Evacuees are being transported to Darwin and Katherine with temporary accommodation in place.
A Flood Watch was also issued today for Carpentaria Coastal Rivers and the Barkly.
Rainfall is expected to increase from Saturday as Tropical Cyclone Trevor crosses the coast in the south western Gulf of Carpentaria and tracks inland.
Predicted rainfalls of 150-250mm on Saturday and isolated falls to 300mm along the coast these totals plus more over the following days may result in significant stream rises and localised flooding throughout the Carpentaria Coastal Rivers.
As the rainfall extends inland into the Barkly from Sunday, road conditions may be affected in many areas, with some communities potentially becoming isolated.
The Salvation Army in the Northern Territory is on alert as thousands of people begin fleeing Cyclone Trevor in what is becoming the biggest evacuation since Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
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A state of emergency has been declared in Australia's north with authorities, including the Australian Defence Force, evacuating communities in the cyclone's path - from Groote Eylandt to Borroloola on the Gulf of Carpentaria - into Darwin.
More than 100 people are arriving by plane every hour, with others coming in by bus.
With wind gusts of more than 130km/hr expected to develop between Weipa and Aurukun [on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula] today, Darwin's Marrara Indoor Stadium has been opened as an evacuation centre.
The SAES will serve meals at the Darwin evacuation centre.
More than 300 people are expected there tonight.
The military is also setting up a 'tent city' at the Darwin Showgrounds.
"We are already feeding around 500 people for lunch today," said Captain Erica Jones, Northern Territory Area Officer and Emergency Services Coordinator for The Salvation Army.
"We will also cater for breakfasts. Correctional Services will supply the food for lunch and dinner, but our Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) teams will serve it.
"Tomorrow we could see more than 2500 people."
Emergency clothing will also be supplied. Evacuee registration, chaplaincy and a range of other services may also be part of The Salvation Army response.
In Katherine, 300km south of Darwin, the showgrounds are being prepared to serve as an evacuation centre and point of registration and transit for up to 300 people fleeing the expected impact of Cyclone Trevor.
Local SAES teams are preparing to serve hundreds of evacuees.
The Salvation Army there will be distributing clothing for those who need it.
The Salvation Army in Alice Springs, 1500km south of Darwin, has also been asked to send a team to Tennant Creek, 500km to the north.
"The SAES trailer and a team of six has been deployed to Tennant Creek as a pre-emptive move in case of flooding from this event and the setting up of an evacuation centre," explained Rob Champion, Strategic Disaster and Emergency Management Specialist, Australia.
"An SAES truck from South Australia is heading to Alice Springs. It's a 'wait and see', but we want to be ahead of the game as there could potentially be hundreds coming in from the communities around Alice, as well as the town itself."
Correctional Services in Alice Springs also provides the meals, which SAES teams will serve. They also clean up after the meals.
SAES teams from South Australia, Queensland and NSW are on standby.
Save the Children works across the Northern Territory including on Groot Eylandt, Katherine and Darwin, and plans to open several 'child friendly spaces', including at the Darwin showgrounds and is on stand to establish at the Katherine showgrounds, to help children and families impacted by the cyclone.
"We haven't seen a storm of this strength and ferocity in the Northern Territory for several years, and we are urging residents to take every precaution in keeping safe during. It's particularly important to provide extra care and support for children, who are always among the most vulnerable during emergencies of this nature," Save the Children's Northern Territory Manager Noelene Swanston said.
"Our 'child friendly spaces' help children cope with the situation and the uncertainty of having to leave their homes, providing a supervised space where they can simply be children again. It also gives parents the time and space they need to get support and deal with any administrative matters while knowing their children are well cared for."
Save the Children is prepared to deploy staff to the NT to assist with the response when needed.
"The coming day and hours will be critical for communities lying in the path of Cyclone Trevor. Save the Children is monitoring the situation closely, and we are ready to increase the scope of our response if needed," Ms Swanston said.
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