Six remote NT communities left without emergency radio coverage
Six Groote Eylandt homelands cannot receive emergency broadcasts from the island's main radio station.
In March, Percy Bishop spent 32 hours at the microphone broadcasting live updates about Tropical Cyclone Narelle as it hit Groote Eylandt in the remote Northern Territory. Politicians called him a hero.
The real story is darker. Six small, at-risk communities on Groote Eylandt have no radio coverage.
Angurugu Radio mainly reaches only two towns: Angurugu and Umbakumba. The remote homelands are all First Nations language-speaking communities.
They hear nothing, even in emergencies. In a storm or fire, those six communities cannot get help or receive warnings.
The radio station needs more money to reach farther. The Anindilyakwa Land Council supports the upgrade.
It is not clear when or if the money will come through.
- 32
- Broadcast hours
- Six homelands
- Unserved communities
- Angurugu and Umbakumba
- Served towns
- Tropical Cyclone Narelle, March
- Storm
Why it mattersEmergency radio coverage can mean the difference between life and death. This matters most in remote areas where cyclones hit and there is no reliable cell phone signal.
AustraliaRemote First Nations communities in the Northern Territory lack access to lifesaving emergency broadcasts during disasters, leaving them isolated and at risk.
